Gotabhaya outbursts against UN, International investigations

Gotabhaya outbursts against UN, International investigations


http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=79&artid=31142

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 February 2010, 23:01 GMT]
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the Sri Lankan defence secretary and the brother of the SL president, in an exclusive interview to the BBC on Tuesday, opposed any international investigation on war crimes during the final stage of the war. Meanwhile, the official news website of the Rajapaksa government in its Sinhala and versions has blamed external forces for rejuvenating the claim of Tamil Eelam by backing Sarath Fonseka, citing the pattern of the results of the recent presidential elections. The Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa also warned the politicians not to guide the 'innocent people' in 'wrong path', while he referred to the election participation in North and East in his Tamil version of the February 04 speech.

Gotabhaya Rajapaksa became visibly irritated responding to the question posed by BBC's Asia Today on Tuesday:

"Any international entity can ask for any investigation. There will be no investigations in this country. I will oppose any body, who is trying to do [investigations], because there is no reason [for investigations].

"The real thing we have to do is to bring this country, develop this country, bring peace to the country, reconciliation, by bringing out all these [war crime] things ... will not.

"These are the people who [...] have other motives, asking [for investigations]. Whether it is United Nations or any other country, we are not - I am not - allowing any investigations in this country. There is no reason. Nothing wrong happened in this country. Take it from me. There will be no investigations for anything in this country. I will not allow [it]. That is not what public wants. That is not what this country wants.

"Don't ask anything about any investigation. Don't talk to me [on] any investigation. There will be no investigations in this country. Take it from me. I am the Secretary of Defence and I will oppose anybody who want to have these things. I will not [allow] anything [like it]. This is my final word."

In the meantime, Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa in his Tamil version of the February 04 address delivered from Kandy, warned the politicians not to lead innocent people in wrong ways, while he referred to the conduct of presidential elections in the North and East.



Watch this video in a new windowGotabaya Rajapakse to BBC




In his "Indpendent Day" address, Mr. Rajapaksa went on record once again saying that there is no minority in his country. "All those who love the mother of Ilangkai (Sri Lanka) are the people of this country. Don't betray your homeland," he said in Tamil.

"We will resolve our problems within us by talks, all people will have the same facilities, that is equality, that is equal rights. One country, one people and one justice," Rajapaksa proclaimed.

In the meantime, Colombo government's official news website news.lk compared the election results illustrating the voting pattern with the map of Tamil Eelam and stating that the pattern revealed separatist agenda. The news was published in Sinhala and Tamil versions.

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