Sri Lankan CID to record statement from UN representative over Fonseka interview

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 May 2010, 12:01 GMT]
The Colombo Chief Magistrate Champa Janaki Seneviratne Wednesday allowed an application by the Sri Lankan Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to record a statement from Keshunaka Seneviratne, Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative in United Nations in Geneva regarding the comment by United Nations Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial, summary or arbitrary executions Philip Alston on an alleged interview made by former Commander of the Sri Lanka Army General (retd.) Sarath Fonseka in a letter to her. Sarath Fonseka in an interview with the Sunday Leader, English weekly on the eve of presidential election alleging that the SL Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse in the final leg of war with the LTTE had ordered Brigadier Shavendra Silva to shoot the LTTE officials carrying white flags.

Phillip Alston had sent a letter with his comments to Sri Lankan permanent representative in Geneva.

The former SLA General, currently a parliamentarian, was produced in courts Wednesday over the case filed by the CID regarding the interview given to an English weekly newspaper alleging that Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa had ordered to shoot all LTTE officials coming with white flags.

Meanwhile, legal circles said that Fonseka is to be indicted in the High Court for the alleged statement he made to the Sunday Leader newspaper and the CID made the application that it required to record a statement from SL permanent representative in this regard

The court further ordered that General Fonseka be detained by the Sri Lankan military till June 7.