Major General Shavendra Silva gives evidence in “white flag” case

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 16 November 2010, 10:39 GMT]
Major General Shavendra Silva, now posted as Sri Lanka’s Deputy Permanent Representative in the United Nations Monda, gave evidence before a three-member bench of the Colombo High Court in a case in which the former Commander of the Sri Lanka Army Sarath Fonseka has been charged for causing disrepute to the government by an alleged interview to the English weekly Sunday Leader. Sarath Fonseka is reported to have alleged in that interview that the Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa had ordered Major General Shavendra Silva to shoot all LTTE cadres dead who come forward to surrender holding white flags.

Major General Silva was the commander of the 58th brigade during the final stages of the war last year.

His evidence was led by the Deputy Solicitor General Navaratna Bandara.

He said the civilians and LTTE cadres who surrendered themselves over to the army in the Wanni battle were not fired upon due to the strict order by the Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa to carry out the Vanni humanitarian mission with minimum human casualties. On the instructions of the Defense Secretary all persons surrendered to the army were taken to safe places and were provided with bottles of water and medical treatment.

Maj. Gen. Shavendra Silva further said that he had no personal grudge against Sarath Fonseka who was the Army Commander at the time of the Vanni humanitarian mission.

Several persons in groups with and without white flags, some even raising both their hands came forward to hand themselves over and they were taken in by the security forces, he said in reply to the Deputy Solicitor General.

Further hearing was put off for November 16, Tuesday.

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