President is abusing the state resources to intimidate Sarath Fonseka

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2010
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By Our Colombo Correspondent

(January 20, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The President Mahinda Rajapakse has declared all out war on his rival candidate Sarath Fonseka. Using all the resources available, the President has let loose a stage by stage campaign of harassment on a daily basis to outsmart the opposition candidate.

Some official sources fear for the safety of General Fonseka. The President’s violent gangster machinery is said to be even contemplating assassination of the opposition candidate and/or his wife or the United National Party leader Ranil Wickramasinghe before the election.

As a concerted effort, the President has decided to use all his powers as the head of state of the armed forces and has given instruction to the National Intelligence Service through his brother, the Secretary of Defence Gotabaya Rajapakse to go all out against Sarath Fonseka.

According to concerned Intelligence source, the Head of the National Intelligence Service Major General Kapila Kapila Hendawitharana has been ordered to use all available at his disposal to discredit and weaken or destroy the opposition.

Following this instruction, Kapila Hendawitharane went public and made a pronouncement to indirectly accuse the Opposition Candidate Sarath Fonseka that he has compromised Sri Lanka by being open about human rights violation.

Following his political statement, the Son-in-law of Presidential Candidate General Sarath Fonseka, Danuna Tillekaratne, has been asked to appear before the CID to investigate on corruption charges.

The corruption charges claimed by the CID were not even thought about until General Sarath Fonseka decided to contest the Presidential election.

There were numerous allegations about financial scandals involving President’s bandwagon but the Opposition Candidate is targeted to harass him to divert his attention from the election campaign work.

The public challenge by the President’s very close criminal ally the Labour Minister Mervyn Silva for anyone to take a 40 million rupee bet with him on the outcome of the January 26 presidential election in favour the President is one of the public comment that wanted criminal investigations as to find how he amazed so much wealth to offer a mega bet. The Minister concerned is continuously enjoying impunity over his criminal behaviour and the Intelligence Chief Hendawitharane too is not taking matters seriously to investigate him.

It is over a year since the Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickramatunga was bludgeoned to death by criminals associated with state Intelligence Service. The Intelligence Head will not utter a word even about the investigation process and it is a matter expecting to reach the foregone conclusion of closure due to indifference shown by the Intelligence Service.

Then the maverick politician who is backing the President’s coalition Wimal Weerawanse is accused of building a palatial house in the south and where he got the millions of rupees is not taken up by the Intelligence Service or the Inland Revenue.

According information, Inland Revenue files of Mervyn Silva and Wimal Weerawanse have been shredded as a result of heavy political pressure and bribes to officials.

It is Mahinda’s unethical conduct that has made the Election Commissioner angry over non-compliance of his directives and that he would quit after the presidential polls next week. Despite pressures to conduct the elections fairly, knowing very well the opposition is doing well in the opinions across the country, the President is said to be all to win the election by devious and criminal means.