Colombo: Sri Lankan Army General Sarath
Fonseka, who presided over the military offensive on the LTTE,
has been asked by US authorities to testify before them
against Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa over allegations
of widespread human rights abuse during the war.
The Chief of Defence Staff has told the government that
he has been asked to give evidence against Gotabhaya, brother
of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, a media report said Sunday.
The US Department of State had recently submitted to the
Congress a report on the incidents during the recent conflict,
prepared by its war crimes office.
"Fonseka has written to Sri Lankan Mission in Washington
saying he has been asked by US officials to give evidence
against Gotabhaya over alleged human rights abuses," the Daily
Mirror online said quoting a highly placed diplomatic source.
It said Fonseka, currently in the US in connection with
renewal of his Green Card, was reportedly contacted by two US
officials on his son-in-law's telephone, "prompting fears in
Colombo that Washington is asserting its legal authority over
the war crimes report released last week".
Official sources here said that "this matter is
being discussed at a higher level. We have no comments at this
point of time".
The Sunday Times, meanwhile, reported that Fonseka has
been told to face a "voluntary meeting" with the Department of
Homeland Security and that officials want to interview him on
Wednesday.
"Reports reaching the highest levels of the government
say US Department of Homeland Security officials want to
interview him on Wednesday (November 4) in Tulsa, Oklahoma,"
The Sunday Times said.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa last week announced that an
independent committee to comprehensively examine and provide
recommendations on the report would be constituted.
Gen Fonseka, who is a US Green Card holder, has a
residence in Oklahoma.
"He had already sought legal advice from Fred Fielding,
a former White House Counsel to late Presidents Richard Nixon,
Ronald Reagan and former president George W Bush.
"His lawyer had advised that the CDS should face the
meeting and answer all questions truthfully," the paper said.
Sri Lanka's Ambassador also mobilised lawyers from
Patton Boggs, the law firm hired by the mission for lobbying
and promotional work, to fly to Tulsa, the paper said quoting
highly-placed government sources in Colombo.
"Gen Fonseka has agreed to drop lawyer Fielding from
representing him and to retain the services of Patton Boggs,"
the newspaper said.
The 68-page US State Department report contains details
of alleged "atrocities" by both the military and LTTE during
the final stages of the war in May this year.
The report prepared by the War Crimes office in the
State Department lists 170 allegations between May 2 and 18.
Bureau Report
First Published: Monday, November 02, 2009, 00:36