Sarath Fonseka did not say anything of that sort but newspapers have been reporting that he had said this (Sarath Fonseka s retracted statement) I m yet to see a categorical statement from him, saying that it was a mistake. The Sunday Leader editor stands by her story even when my secretary had spoken to the Sunday Leader editor. She has quotes attributed to him in that article. Now Brig. Shavendra Silva, Brigadier of the 58th Division had said in an interview to a weekly English newspaper last weekend, that no such orders were given to him. What more do you want.

We will be sending a consolidated statement on behalf of the government of Sri Lanka in reply to Prof. Alston in due course

White Van on 'reverse gear'
(Lanka-e-News, Dec.24, 2009, 7.45PM) President s co ordinating Director Athula Samaraweera was threatened with death yesterday night (23) at about 10.45 p.m. by a group which came in a white colored Van.

According to Samaraweera as related to Lanka e news, when he was travelling down Denzil Kobbekaduwa Mawatha near Foreign service representative office, a white Van bearing NO. 252 2040 which was following his vehicle had overtaken and blocked his vehicle. Five persons who alighted from the Van have assaulted him saying you are the one who has combined with the President and playing games. You have also started a paper against us?. The assailants have then fled in the Van when at that moment an Army vehicle arrived at the spot.
Samaraweera had lodged a complaint No. 111 119/474 with Thalangama Police today (24).

All these days the white an was used for attacking, abducting and fro disappearances of the Opposition members, those opposing the Govt., and media personnel. But, this is the first time the white Van has been used to attack a Govt. official of the Head of the country.

The Sri Lankan government on Thursday announced that the letter sent by Secretary of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights Rajiva Wijesinghe in response to questions raised by U.N. Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Summary or Arbitrary Executions Phillip Alston, on charges made by the former Army Chief Sarath Fonseka against Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa about the sequence of events in the last phase of Eelam War IV (May 16 to 19), should be treated as withdrawn.

The letter and its withdrawal have embarrassed the Mahinda Rajapaksa government as the ruling combine and the opposition were building it up as an issue for the January 26 presidential election where the retired General is pitted against President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

In his letter Prof. Wijesinghe had argued that since the retired General Fonseka had distanced himself from the comments attributed to him in the December 13 interview to the English weekly Sunday Leader, the questions raised by the U.N. were irrelevant.

The Secretary had written the letter without consulting the Foreign Office and other relevant authorities in the Government. The Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office at Geneva had been instructed to withhold the letter sent by the Secretary, a senior official in the Presidential Secretariat told The Hindu.

No no n and NO! - Fonseka

Five years after the tsunami swept over the shores of Sri Lanka destroying everything in its path, victims are continuing to rebuild their lives. But their efforts have been plagued by nagging questions over widespread corruption in programmes expected to provide thousands of houses worth billions of rupees.

More than 35,000 people in Sri Lanka were killed and more than a half million displaced when an earthquake off the Indonesian coast on December 26, 2004 triggered a series of tsunamis along coastlines in the Indian Ocean. Nearly 100,000 houses in Sri Lanka were destroyed by the deadly waves.

Despite Prof. Peiris claim on suing the EU over temporary suspension of the GSP plus to Sri Lanka, Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe today said there is no such decision adding it is just a view expressed by the former.

There will not be any legal action against the EU, Samarasinghe told Asian Tribune.

There are various opinions being expressed. But the most important thing is we are in dialogue with the EU resident Ambassador and officials in Brussels over securing the trade concession to Sri Lanka, he said.

He called the claim by Export Development and International Trade Minister Prof G. L. Peiris on suing the EU as just a view expressed.

When contacted the EU Ambassador in Sri Lanka, Bernard Savage told Asian Tribune that there has been no formal intimation from the government with regard to any legal action.

We are open for discussion with the Government over the GSP plus, Savage said.

Last week, the European Commission (EC) recommended temporary suspension of the GSP+ trade scheme to Sri Lanka under which nearly 7100 Sri Lankan exports go to the EU bloc tax free.

And Prof G. L. Peiris snapped at the EU calling the denial of GSP + is violation of human rights. He vowed to take the matter to an international tribunal.

However Samarasinghe today sounded confident that the national action plan on human rights scheduled to come out soon could reverse the EU s decision.

It will spell out time bound action strategies and we will demonstrate our commitment to improve rights, he said.

Samarasighe said there are positive signals coming from the EU already vis- -vis the resettlement process of the IDPs.

He said the final decision by the European Commission with regard to the GSP plus will come in February next year and there onwards a period of six months is given before it is implemented.

We have ample opportunity till August to prove our commitment to improve human rights, Samarasinghe added.

He is seeking NASA video which shows White-flag holding Nadesan waliking to surrender....!

The former Navy Commander has come out to say that credit for the victory over the LTTE should be shared with the Commanders of the Navy and the Air Force and not by the Army Commander alone. True enough.

What, in fact, the former Navy Commander, indirectly wants us to infer is that similarly, the political leadership provided to continue the war has also to be shared with the Cabinet of Ministers, not by the President alone.