Former Sri Lankan Army Commander and accused war criminal, Sarath Fonseka, joined the protests on Saturday and claimed that Sri Lankan armed forces wanted “to see this struggle win”.
Yesterday, the members of the security forces wanted to see this struggle win - says MP Sarath Fonseka, who joined the struggle today #lka pic.twitter.com/RmpMWiyIJb
— Manjula Basnayake (@BasnayakeM) July 10, 2022
In advance of the mass protests which saw the President’s house stormed, Fonseka called on the military and police to support the demonstrations. He claimed the “Aragalaya” is being held for them as well.
Fonseka is one of the architects of the Mullivaikkal genocide. He served as Sri Lanka’s army commander during the final years of the wars, from 2005 to 2009, which oversaw a litany of war crimes including the indiscriminate shelling of hospitals, mass executions and sexual violence. During the final months, UN data suggests that over 70,000 Tamils were slaughtered whilst local census records indicate that at least 146,679 people are unaccounted for and are presumed to have been killed.
Fonseka has been rumoured to be angling for a leadership position within the protests.
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