A former senior military official in the Sri Lankan army states that the army "assassinated surrendering Tamils" reports The Daily Telegraph newspaper in the UK Sunday - Sri Lankan army commanders 'assassinated surrendering Tamils' (19/12/11).
The witness, a major general, states that the defence secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, gave "some instructions to a field commander to get rid of those LTTE [Tamil Tiger] cadres [who] are surrendering without adhering to normal procedures".
The witness added that such instructions "should come from either the secretary of the defence, with the knowledge of the president involved. He also has to be kept informed. The commanders could not undertake such decisions."
According The Daily Telegraph, the confession, made in a sworn deposition seen by newspaper, was made a high ranking military official who had extensive security clearance and access to the army's senior most figures.
The witness, who fled from Sri Lanka, is currently seeking asylum in the United States.
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