Pardon plea for SF should come from family: MR
President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said he was ready to consider a pardon for former army commander Sarath Fonseka if his family makes a request to that effect.
He said such a pardon would be considered under the proper procedure. Speaking at a meeting with newspaper editors at Temple Trees yesterday he said there had been requests from several sectors towards granting a pardon to Sarath Fonseka and confirmed that there had been discussions on this matter and it was not something new.
He said not only MP Tiran Alles but several others had also discussed the matter with him. “It is immaterial whether you deliver a petition with millions of signatures to President Barack Obama or adopt any other strategies but the final decision rests with me,” the President said.
When asked about the request made by the TNA for police powers to the Provincial Councils he reiterated that he was not in favour of granting such powers to PCs as it would lead to various administrative problems, and hinted that even he would have to obtain permission from these councils not only to travel to Jaffna but even to visit Hambantota.
He said the Tamil youth were now being recruited to the police, but it appeared that the TNA was bent on the disruption of the peace process in a similar manner like the LTTE. “The TNA had not agreed to nominate their representatives to the Parliamentary Select Committee, they are more keen on presenting their own agendas at international forums before the release of the LLRC report, and that MPs were kept informed of the implementation process that would be followed.
The President also said the government would respond to the statement by the US State Department on the LLRC report and take necessary measures.
Courtesy: DM Online
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Release of SF without heavy conditions will be a monstous error in the entire history of this beautiful island. He should not be allowed to leave our shores.Traitor as he is ,he will turn out to be a betrayer as well.He does not deserve a Presidential Pardon right at this juncture.
Doesn’t matter ,please tell us what mistake he has done for country
Hiran, I agree with you. If A.U.J is advocating hash verdict to SF, what is he going to say about Murders Karuna and KP. Does he approves treating two individuals as national heroes?
please we all srilanken sufferd enough last 30years with bloody tamil terrorist,and we do not want suffer further with bloody SF traitor,therefore we all srilanken have to think twise with bloody traitor SF.he did not deserve his freedom.
Hiran appears to have been asleep all these months. I am not going to repeat just for him what evil SF has done throughout his army career.
Suffice it to be recalled:
SF has breached the army Code of Conduct by engaging in politics with JVP while still the Army Commander.
He has treacherously engaged in secret discussions with CIA and US State Officials while on a visit to US, on the pretext of seeing his daughter, without prior authorisation from his Commander-in-Chief and the Defence Sec.
He has helped his son-inlaw set-up a company, HiCorps, abroad to purchase ordnance through it at high cost, so that his relatives and he himself stood to gain through the commissions earned. This is also corruption.
He has been found guilty by two Courts Martial and by the Civil Court and sentenced appropriately.
The outstanding allegation is after losing the Presidential Election, he conspired with others to wrest power by a coup d’tat and to assassinate President MR and his whole family and other leading figures. This is HIGH TREASON. This case has still to be heard. In USA he would have been sentenced to death for this. He has got away lightly in SL.
He was a monster during his army career as proven by the soldiers and officers, who had suffered under him. If pardoned, he would definitely take his revenge by a coup d’tat with imperial West help and assassinate the President and his family. The country will be ruined by set-back to the excellent development taking place under Hon President at the moment, through his MC Idiri Dekma.
YOUR EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT,
PLEASE HEAR THE VOICE OF THE PATRIOTIC MAJORITY WHO ELECTED YOU, NOT TO GRANT PARDON TO THIS EVIL MAN AS YOU WOULD PUT MOTHERLANKA AT IMMENSE RISK BY SO DOING. SF WOULD MOST CERTAINLY ALLY HIMSELF WITH THE ENEMIES OF MOTHERLANKA TO ASSASSINATE YOU IN REVENGE, AS HE IS KNOWN TO BE HIGHLY VINDICTIVE. HE WOULD SET-BACK ALL THE PROGRESS THE COUNTRY IS MAKING UNDER YOUR EXCELLENT LEADERSHIP. USA AND TNA ARE WAITING FOR JUST SUCH AN OPPORTUNITY, TO INVADE SL UNDER SOME PRETEXT, TO SET UP THEIR BASE IN SL AND TO PARTITION THE COUNTRY FOR TNA. PLEASE DON’T LET THIS HAPPEN. LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF REASON AND NOT TO MISGUIDED PRELATES AND TREACHEROUS FRIENDS. THERE ARE MORE DESERVING POOR PRISONERS, WHO HAVE NO ONE TO APPEAL FOR THEM, TO BE PARDONED. IF YOUR EXCELLENCY PARDON THIS MONSTER, IT WOULD BE A BLACK NEW YEAR’S DAY FOR MOTHERLANKA, WORSE THAN THE BOXING DAY TSUNAMI.
Messrs.Hiran & Amarakoon
Y
ou accuse me of advocating ‘HARSH VERDICT’ on SF. Verdicts are npot mine at all.THEY ARE FROM THE HIGHEST JUDICIARYOF THE ISLAND.You don’t seem to know the reasons,most probably because you refuse to read or listen to day to day news about current affairs.However My friend Nicholas has answered you in detail.I nned not repeat them.Your approach and tone of querries seem to be OK,Let us understand each other and work towards prosperity of our motherland.
As for Nicholas’ Petition to the President,let me also be a signatory to it.We over here fully endorse it in toto.
Sorry, Mr. Amarakoon, Ihave forgotten to answer your querry about differential treatment towards accused in the same war.SF THE CRIMINAL NEVER REPENTED NOR APPEALED FOR CLEMENCY FOR HIS SINS.Whereas two LTTE cadres surrendered and pleaded for clemency .KP did not surrender ,his case is pending.They are kept under surveilance A friend becmming an enemy cannot be treated alike vice versa.
hey guys ,dias and AUJ forgot that one time he was the best army commander
and HIRAN , You NOW (AT THIS VERY MOMENT) FORGET HE IS A TRAITOR.You should know what to do with Traitors.He is a dangerous TRAITOR BECAUSE HE IS AWARE OF AND KNOWS ALL WAR SECRETS. He is Honour bound not to divulge those secrets but he has threatened not to save anybody,he is not an honourable man.He deserves more
In a democracy, executive pardons are not allowed, as the arbiter of justice becomes extra-judicial. Pardons cannot be given at the whim of one to whom an injustice was not personally done. A rape victim can pardon the rapist if done solely at her discretion and not under duress or pressure.If Fonseka has wronged someone, he or she must be the sole authority to be able to pardon, not an unaffected outsider, however big.
Lasantha,
Thank you for your contribution. Most appreciated; extremely professional and points to “the right thing to do”.
The Military Tribunal found SF guilty of some administratve lapse (the Tribunal failed to keep notes on proceedings !) and later the Courts ruled the Tribunal to be “equivalent” to Courts !
Who has SF ‘wronged’ in this instance? The Govt set up the admin rules for its servants to follow and SF as a servant, “broke” a rule. I believe the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration is the “keeper” of the Govt’s rules. Therefore if SF did break a rule, the Secretary for Public Admin may forgive him and request the Prisons Commissioner to release him. Am I right, Lasantha?
The grandiose claims on “I can forgive him only if his wife or daughters come to me (and do what, I wonder?)” is just another disgusting show of “power”!
Lasantha, I learnt a lot from your one paragraph contribution. Greatly appreciated. Do keep it up and try be a regular on Onlanka.
Dear Lasantha,
Your description of democracy may mbe eight under normal circumstances.But the present CONSTITUTION as presented by late JR IS a Presidentg centred piece of legislature about which the creato himself took pride in saying that “Icannot make a man a woman and vice versa”Such is the Presidential Powers vested in him.In fact ,Dear Lasantha ,Honourable JR took the liberty of granting of PRESIDENTIAL PARDON to a rapistof a well known doctor’s daughter AND IMMEDIATELY made him an all Island JP.What more POWERS?
Hon President has Executive Power to pardon a prisoner on special occasions, such as New Year. Other countries, such as India, also has provision for the President to pardon a prisoner where the prisoner has apologised and asked for pardon, and not someone else on his behalf.
When the LTTE prisoners were pardoned by the Hon President, they were first rehabilitated, trained in a trade and then pardoned under conditions. Karuna and Pillayan (LTTE leaders) were also pardoned by the Hon President because they asked for forgiveness for their crimes, helped the Defence Forces to destroy LTTE totally with the valuable intelligence they provided and were rehabilitated.
Under our Constitution, the Hon President has this Executive Power. This is not extra judiciary as it is legal within the Constitution. Certain Islamic countries where they follow the Sharia law, the criminal can be forgiven if he/she pleads forgiveness from the victim and pays compensation. This is not extra judiciary as it is within their legal system.
Dear Mr AUJ,
How can you say SF is a criminal and a traitor? SF is solder and he might have carried out orders given by the Defense Secretary. That is what he said. LTTE cadres surrendered are criminals beyond any doubt. You were extremely causes about calling them criminals. I do not recall they have pleaded for clemency at all. Could you please substantiate your statement? Even when SFs case was pending e was not treated as KP. You stated KP never surrendered, here again, could you pl. tell us when and where he pleaded for clemency? Even India wants him. You say ‘a friend becoming an enemy cannot be treated alike vice versa’. That is your own opinion. SF is a hero for millions of Sri Lankans and you can’t change it.
Retd General Sarath Fonseka is a political prisoner. A previous dictator, not long ago, deprived the Leader of the Opposition of civic rights to ensure he was never challenged for the big seat.
Politicians live in eternal fear of losing. Not so in developed democracies. Political leadership is just another “contract” job. The body polity awards the leader a contract for a fixed period of time. At the end of the term, the leader’s performance is assessed and if it meets with expectations of the polity, the contract will be renewed. If not, the best person who fits the position is awarded a contract.
The concept of accountability dissapeared from ledership in Sri Lanka quite some ago. In whatever we do as part of our lives, we do have to account for our actions and the outcomes of those actions. Not if you are the President or a Cabinet Minister or an MP or a head of a dept or corporation in Sri Lanka.
Retd Gen SF has been jailed by a Tribunal which never kept records of the proceedings. It is obvious the Tribunal was either under instruction or made up its mind long before hearings begun.
There are wild rumours Retd Gen SF planned coups and assasinations following the elections. If there is evidence to this effect, such evidence should be placed before a properly constituted bench for hearing and judgement. Labelling persons who do subscribe to thought patterns of those in power, as traitors and criminals, does not relect well not only on the leadership but on the entire country.