Govt has no clear policy to win hearts of Tamils: Fonseka

In a strongly-worded letter to Rajapaksa,Fonseka,the architect of military offensive that led to the annihilation of rebel Tamil Tigers in May,said the plight of internally displaced persons is a “point of great concern to me”.

“Your Excellency’s government has yet to win the peace in spite of the fact that the Army under my leadership won the war. There is no clear policy to win the hearts and minds of the Tamil people,which will surely ruin the victory attained,paving the way for yet another uprising in the future,” Fonseka wrote.

“Thousands of valiant soldiers sacrificed their valuable lives to liberate these unfortunate civilians from the brutality and tyranny of the LTTE in order that they could live in an environment of freedom and democracy. Yet,today many of them are continuing to live in appalling conditions due to the lack of proper planning on the part of the government,” he said.

Fonseka,in his letter,also said the IDPs who have friends and relatives elsewhere in the country must be given the choice to live with them until proper demining has been done in their areas.

He alleged that the peace dividend the whole country expected at the conclusion of the war is yet to materialise.

“The economic hardships faced by the people have increased while waste and corruption have reached endemic proportions; media freedom and other democratic rights continue to be curtailed,” Fonseka said.

“The many sacrifices the army made to end the war would not have been in vain,if we can usher in a new era of peace and prosperity to our motherland,” he said.

The condition of Tamil IDPs and the lack of media freedom were two issues getting much attention in the western media after the end of civil war in Lanka. Human rights groups have repeatedly expressed concern over both the issues.

Fonseka felt he was promoted to the ceremonial post of chief of defence staff “with basically no authority” due to misleading reports of a likely coup in the island.

He also said the “ordinary Army which I toiled to transform into a highly professional outfit is now losing its way. Increased desertions,lack of enthusiasm to enlist (A drop in enlistment rate by 50% is recorded),disciplinary problems on advocating divided commands indicates an unprofessional organisation in the offing.

During the last two months the members deserted are higher than the recruitment,” Fonseka said.