Sri Lanka’s former commander of the army praised China for supporting the government during the armed conflict, stating that without it “we would not have been able to finish the war”.
Sarath Fonseka, who was recently promoted to Field Marshal, told Xinhua that Chinese support for Sri Lanka’s war effort was crucial and praised their “historic relationship” with the government.
"Without China's support we would have not been able to finish the war, basically," said the former army commander on Friday. Fonseka led the Sri Lankan army during the final phases of the armed conflict where tens of thousands of Tamil civilians were killed. An upcoming UN report into the final weeks of the war is due to be released later this month, with many of the deaths due to Sri Lankan government shelling.
China sold large quantities of military hardware to the Sri Lankan government, including Jian-7 fighter jets, anti-aircraft guns and JY-11 3D air surveillance radars.
"With China we have had a historic relationship. So I think we must maintain that relationship and we will not forget what China has done for our country," added Fonseka.
Sarath Fonseka has claimed responsibility for the final stages of the armed conflict, telling reporters earlier this year that he had “planned the entire operation”. Following the change of government on the island in January, Fonseka was promoted and is to date is the only 5-Star General in Sri Lankan history.
See our earlier posts:
'I planned the entire operation' states Fonseka (12 Jan 2015)
'I am ready for any inquiry anywhere in the world' says Fonseka (31 Mar 2015)