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A Letter to Gen Janaka Perera from a Sri Lankan in Australia

A Sri Lankan expatriate living in Australia

Dear Gen Janaka Perera;

I was amazed to read in the media reports that you have accepted appointment as UNP's candidate for the chief minister post of the north central province at the forthcoming elections.

We, Sri Lankans living in Australia had great faith and respect for your services to our motherland but now we feel that you have completely let us down. We were always there to protect your image when the LTTE and its sympathisers were all out to tarnish your image.

I can still remember how the LTTE sympathisers gathered in front of the Clayton hall in Melbourne which was to hold the first reception to welcome you as Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to Australia. LTTE sympathisers split in to two groups and were shouting slogans like "Janaka Perera", "minee maruva" when our voice suppressed the words "minee maruva" with "our hero". Their slogan "Sri Lanka exports", “war criminals" was suppressed by us with laughter by replacing "war criminals" with "tea, rubber and coconuts".

Subsequently at the actual reception (which was held at a different secret location selected by the prudent organisers), you praised our efforts and assured that you were committed in your life time to defeat the separatist forces.

Then at a reception held to honour the great spinner Muralitharan, you explained to us how the former secretary of defence (who too was involved in arms dealing business with other corrupts such as children of Ratwatte and children of Balapatabendi) forced you to approve items such as bullet proof vests which were not actually bullet proof when tested by you. You revealed how the ex defence secretary went to such an extent that he phoned and told you "if the time is bad, the soldier will die any way. So don't bother about it but approve the bullet proof vests". Your response had been "if the soldiers are going to die any way (because their time is bad), they don't need bullet proof vests. You also told us how decisions like above deprived you the position of the Army Commander.

You have now taken a decision which has shocked the expatriates and the patriots who defended you. How can we believe that you will defend the soldiers, sailors, airmen when you have joined Ranil who openly makes statements such as "war is a failure" and "it's an unwinnable war" etc. You proudly told us that the war can be won not once or twice but each time you met us. You said it can be won if there is proper leadership. Do you sincerely think that Ranil can give the proper leadership? Ranil has formed an alliance with the corrupt leadership of Chandrika which deprived you of the leadership of the Army?

I hope you read the editorial in The Island of 24th June 2008. It sums up the problems you are going to face. When the going gets tough Ranil will be the first to drop you. And please don’t think he is going to make you the Defence Minister. We are sorry to see that a man who has so much behind his name will end up in dirty “cess pit of politics”, losing all what you gained in the battlefield.

As a Christian who went to St. Joseph you will remember the Biblical saying: You can’t serve God and mammon at the same time. You can’t serve Ranil and the nation at the same time too. When you join Ranil you will defend Prabhakaran and not our forces. I hate to see you going down in disgrace if you do that.

A Sri Lankan expatriate living in Australia

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