{"id":55259,"date":"2017-09-26T01:11:13","date_gmt":"2017-09-26T05:11:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=55259"},"modified":"2017-09-26T00:55:37","modified_gmt":"2017-09-26T04:55:37","slug":"sarath-fonseka-vs-jagath-jayasuriya-clash-of-two-ex-army-commanders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=55259","title":{"rendered":"Sarath Fonseka vs Jagath Jayasuriya: Clash of Two  Ex- Army Commanders"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>By D.B.S.Jeyaraj<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The recent spat &#8211; if one may call it that &#8211; between two former commanders of the Sri Lankan army has caused quite a furore. Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka and Lieutenant-General  Jagath Jayasuriya have engaged in a heated exchange over issues of both command and control responsibity as well as  alleged war crimes. Sarath Fonseka served as Army commander from Dec 6th 2005 to July 15th 2009. His  immediate successor Jagath Jayasuriya served as army commander from July 15th 2009 to  July 31st 2013. The clash between Fonseka and Jayasuriya may very well be  described  as  a battle between two ex &#8211; army commanders.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_55260\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-55260\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/FMSFLGJJ-600x423.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"423\" class=\"size-large wp-image-55260\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-55260\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka and Lieutenant-General  Jagath Jayasuriya<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The  flare- up occurred when Lt.Gen Jagath Jayasuriya  who was accredited to Brazil  and five other South American countries as Ambassador got targeted by a human rights organization which sought to invoke universal jurisdiction against the ex -army chief turned envoy for  war crimes allegedly committed during the war between the Sri Lankan armed forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE). Jayasuriya who had returned to Sri Lanka by that time denied  all such allegations.<br \/>\n<!--more--><br \/>\nIt is indeed noteworthy that the official position of the Sri Lankan Govt  during the war was that the armed forces were implementing a &#8220;zero civilian casualty policy&#8221;. The inevitable conclusion arising from such a stance would be that no civilians were harmed.  The then president Mahinda Rajapaksa went on record that the Sri Lankan soldiers fought the war with &#8221; a weapon in one hand and the UN Human Rights charter in the other hand,  carrying  provisions on their backs for the entrapped civilians with their hearts  brimming over with compassion&#8221;.This  statement by the then supreme commander of the armed forces suggested by extension  that no war crimes were committed as alleged.<\/p>\n<p>It was against such a backdrop that the Non -governmental organization  International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) resorted to legal action against Jagath Jayasuriya in Latin America. It is somewhat a puzzle as to why the ITJP waited until the  tail -end of the Sri Lankan envoy&#8217;s tenure to  file suits in courts instead of doing so well before his term ended. The ITJP had  raised  such allegations  before when it publicised reports of alleged human rights violations and war crimes being committed at the Sri Lankan Army&#8217;s &#8220;Joseph Camp&#8221; in Vavuniya. Jagath Jayasuriya who served as the Wanni region commander in the final stages of the war was based in the camp referred to as &#8220;Joseph camp&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Joint  Services Special Operations Command (JOSSOP)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Although people in northern Sri Lanka as well as international organizations  referred to the main   security forces  camp in Vavuniya as &#8220;Joseph&#8221; camp,  in reality the camp&#8217;s name was not Joseph. It was actually &#8220;Jossop&#8221;.  When JR Jayewardene was the Sri Lankan president and minister of defence , the  Joint Services Special Operations Command (JOSSOP) was set up in Vavuniya to co-ordinate &#8220;anti-terrorist activity&#8221; in the districts of Mannar, Vavuniya, Mullaitheevu and Trincomalee. The Vavuniya camp housing the JOSSOP headquarters was referred to as the &#8220;Jossop camp&#8221;. Gradually the  people started calling the camp by the name &#8220;Joseph&#8221; instead of Jossop as it sounded alike. Some years later the  JOSSOP was dismantled but  &#8220;Joseph camp&#8221; remained as the  head camp of the Wanni based security forces.<\/p>\n<p>When the  ITJP resorted to legal action  and raised allegations against him,  Jagath Jayasuriya  denied  all complicity. There was a spate of media interviews in which the retired Lt.General refuted all charges  made against him. A point he emphasised in his favour was the fact that he had not been involved in actual combat during the final phases of the war. As such he could not be accused of alleged war crimes as he had no role to play in the fighting was the ex-army chief&#8217;s stance. Jagath Jayasuriya had been appointed  Wanni security forces commander on August 7th 2007 and had  continued in that position till the war ended in May 2009. Thereafter he  continued in that position until succeeding Sarath Fonseka as army commander on July 15th 2009.<\/p>\n<p>It was at this juncture that former army commander and current Regional Development minister Sarath Fonseka queered the pitch for his erstwhile successor. Fonseka conducted a press conference in which he accused Jagath Jayasuriya of having committed war crimes. The Field Marshall claimed that he had proof and would be ready to testify against Jayasuriya if an investigation was held. It is widely acknowledged that there was little love lost between Fonseka and Jayasuriya. However Fonseka&#8217;s unexpected intervention  was not entirely due to personal animosity.  There was an element of self -preservation also.<\/p>\n<p>Jagath Jayasuriya claiming that he had no part in the actual fighting and could not be held responsible for whatever had allegedly occurred in the battle front was an indirect attack on Fonseka himself. The implication was that it was Fonseka as the Army commander in overall charge who had to bear responsibility. If Jayasuriya was allowed to continue in this manner without being challenged, it would only have been a matter of time before  blame would have been attached to Fonseka. Anticipating such an eventuality perhaps the Field Marshall staged the press conference in what could be likened  to a pre-emptive strike to deflect the issue.<\/p>\n<p>The statements made by Fonseka amounted to a bombshell. It was seized upon by and utilised by different sections for different reasons. Jagath Jayasuriya was compelled to respond to Fonseka. He reiterated the fact that he  was only in charge of logistics and had never been the fighting commander. He further said that if indeed war crimes had occurred they were likely to have happened in the frontlines.  As such the then army commander Fonseka bore responsibility and not he , asserted Jayasuriya. A point in the Lt.General&#8217;s favour was the statements made by  the Field Marshall himself. According to newspaper reports Field Marshall  Fonseka at his media briefing had clearly stated that Jayasuriya, in his capacity as SF Commander, Vavuniya, hadn\u2019t enjoyed command and control responsibilities over fighting formations, deployed in  the Wanni west and Wanni east fronts.  Fonseka said Jayasuriya had been tasked with ensuring supplies and basically looking after the area under government control. His functions had been similar to those assigned to  the then  SF Commander  of Jaffna Maj. Gen. G.A. Chandrasiri.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wanni  Security Forces Commander<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Though Fonseka himself had in a sense  &#8220;absolved&#8221;  Jayasuriya of  responsibility for whatever  acts of omision or commission on the battle field, the Field marshall was not ready to let Jayasuriya &#8220;slip&#8221; way easily. Speaking to the media subsequently the  regional development minister said that he had information about some atrocious incidents happening  to those detained at the Vavuniya headquarters camp. Therefore Jayasuriya had to take responsibility opined Fonseka. This  statement  had serious  ramifications for Jayasuriya as the ITJP had on several occasions alleged that several human rights violations including torture had been committed at the Vavuniya &#8220;Joseph&#8221; camp when Jagath Jayasuriya was in charge there as Wanni Security forces commander.<\/p>\n<p>In an extensive interview given to a Colombo newspaper Jagath Jayasuriya denied charges that he had sanctioned or  supervised  the  torture  of detenues at the camp. However in an exhibition of &#8220;buck passing&#8221; the ex &#8211; army chief  stated \u201cI had my headquarters inside the same complex I was responsible for. But there were Commanders at various levels in other camps in the same premises. So, if something had happened in those camps I am not responsible.\u201dHe went on to disclaim  responsibility for the camp saying  his subordinate the  then  Vavuniya Brigade commander  was in overall charge of the camp administration and  was  responsible for maintenance of security. \u201cI was not the one in charge of security,The entire complex was not under my command.\u201d said Jayasuriya<\/p>\n<p>LT.gen  Jayasuriya  also sought to put  his erstwhile predecessor in hot water by stressing upon the fact that Sarath Fonseka had been in overall charge of the last batttle against the LTTE and implying  therefore that he was  responsible for any alleged war crimes.  At the same time Jayasuriya  emphasised the point that Fonseka himself had categorically said that he (Jayasuriya)  did not have operational command of troops. Jayasuriya said in the interview  \u201cArmy Commander Sarath Fonseka went to China with his mobile phone and the map of the Wanni\u201d during the final stages of the armed conflict. Fonseka was contactable on telephone. Fonseka\u2019s wife used to tell us \u2018his entire bed was taken up for the map\u2019. I worked with him, so I also know he does that. He used to call and verify reports. I can say categorically he had given me in writing that I have no operational command of troops in the Wanni and that I will only do logistics. So, I was not giving orders,\u201d.Jayasuriya further said &#8220;On the ground, whether something like that had happened or not, I don\u2019t know because I was not on the frontline warring. I was in the Wanni Camp. At the highest level we don\u2019t know. At the lower level, they may be knowing whether it happened or not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ironically the same Jayasuriya who was disclaiming any responsibility in conducting the war in its final phase  spoke differently in the aftermath of the war in 2009. Media organs run by sections of the Tamil Diaspora were quick to point out these ironic contradictions. \u201cThe entire northern operation was conducted in the tactical area of responsibility that came under my command,\u201d Jayasuriya had  said in 2010 in his capacity as Army commander. . \u201cI was actively involved in the ground operations executing directives from Army headquarters and the Ministry of Defence.\u201d Testifying  before the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission in 2010  Jayasuriya had said  \u201cOverall I  was responsible for the conduct of the whole thing&#8221;.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_55261\" style=\"width: 303px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-55261\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/SFJJ-293x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"293\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-55261\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-55261\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka and Lieutenant-General  Jagath Jayasuriya<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Now Lt. Gen Jagath Jayasuriya was on the defensive saying he had no  command responsibility during the war&#8217;s final phase.  Moreover the  concepts of command  and control were being made a mockery of by both  antagonists. The on going   internecine crossfire between the Field Marshall and Lieutenant -General  provided much entertainment to the casual observer. Sadly the verbal clash portrayed the armed forces in very poor light. The patriotic public of Sri Lanka which regards the Army as &#8220;War Heroes&#8221; was aghast and dismayed. The two ex-army commanders were like school chidren blaming each other when being pulled up by the teacher for committing mischief.<\/p>\n<p>The public spat between Fonseka and Jayasuriya may have continued further but for the intervention by present Army commander Lt.Gen Mahesh Senanayake. The army chief went public   saying that personal rivalries should not be allowed to sully the  Sri Lankan army&#8217;s reputation.  He  said that even if a single officer was criticised openly it affected the entire army&#8217;s morale. Senanayake who had been victimised by the Rajapaksa regime in the belief that he was a confidante of Sarath Fonseka expressed displeasure over Fonseka&#8217;s outburst. The army chief  pointed out that he had never criticised the army though he (Senanayake) had been given a raw deal. He also clarified that only an allegation had been made in a foreign country against Jagath Jayasuriya and nothing else.<\/p>\n<p><strong>President Maithripala Sirisena<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The highly respected Army commander&#8217;s  response was widely welcomed. Senanayake&#8217;s public comments along  with private efforts at peace making by senior political leaders paid dividends. There was an undeclared cesefire between the Field Marshall and the Lt.General. The vocal artillery of the ex-top brass  fell silent. Meanwhile President Maithripala Sirisena declared openly that he would not allow anyone &#8221; to touch Jagath Jayasuriya or an Army officer or any war hero&#8221;. With the Government&#8217;s position on the allegations against Jayasuriya being made clear an uneasy peace has descended upon the  two warring ex- army chiefs.<\/p>\n<p>This clash of the two ex -army commanders cannot be viewed in isolation as a single, stand alone incident. There is a history  of deep seated  animosity behind the verbal duel that cannot be overlooked. The  personality clash between Fonseka and Jayasuriya is a consequence of the  politicization process of the military that has been going on for more than half a century. This politicization of the military assumed immense proportions during the Rajapaksa regime. In a bid to win the war against the tigers  the armed forces were politicized to a very great extent.<\/p>\n<p>The intensified war resulting in Victory over the LTTE brought about a host of unintended consequences in its wake. Chief among them was the birth and growth of the Fonseka phenomenon.This process underwent a drastic turn when the war winning army commander challenged the war winning president at the presidential stakes. This brought about a sea change in the politico- military environment. The army top brass was divided politically. Officers who would have been  apolitical &#8220;gentlemen&#8221; under  normal circumstances   turned into political animals. The Fonseka -Jayasuriya split was aggravated due to the Rajapaksas playing &#8220;politics&#8221;with both.<\/p>\n<p>It would be relevant at this point to briefly delve into the  history of  the war winning army commanders&#8217;s  conflict with the Rajapaksas after the war was over  and how this exacerbated the divide between  Sarath Fonseka and Jagath Jayasuriya.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Medamulana and Valvettithurai<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected  Executive President on November 18, 2005. Despite being elected through an enforced boycott by the Tigers it soon became apparent that Medamulana and Valvettithurai were on a collision course.Mahinda Rajapaksa made two crucial appointments  at the onset of his presidency in anticipation of a savage war with the LTTE. One was to make his younger sibling Gotabaya Rajapaksa Defence Secretary. The other was to appoint Sarath Fonseka as Army Commander and extend his tenure.<\/p>\n<p>It was at Gotabaya\u2019s behest that Sarath Fonseka was made army chief. He  was scheduled to retire as he  would have reached  the mandatory age 55 on December 6,  2005. But Gotabaya persuaded his brother to make Sarath army chief because Fonseka was the best man to lead the army at that point of time.The serving Commander Maj. Gen. Shantha Kottegoda was sent to Brazil as ambassador and Fonseka brought in. Thereafter his term was extended each year on December 6th his birthday.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_52674\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-52674\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/MS-MR-300x201.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"201\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-52674\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-52674\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">President Maithripala Sirisena and ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In May 2009   the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) organization  met its waterloo by the waters of Nandhikkadal lagoon, the lion\u2019s share of credit for the victory against the Tigers was apportioned to the triad at the helm.The  triumvirate comprising President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Army Chief Sarath Fonseka was hailed for providing political, administrative and military leadership respectively in the triumphant war against the Tigers.<\/p>\n<p>After the war ended the  Rajapaksas of Ruhunu wanted to  channel  the war victory euphoria into electoral success for Mahinda at the presidential elections. They counted on Sarath Fonseka  with his war victor  image to engage in propaganda for the Machiavelli of Medamulana. Foseka however  had other ideas and thought of cashing in on his martial image for his own benefit instead of propping up the Medamulana oligarchy as expected.Unfortunately for the Rajapaksas their \u201ccreature\u201d like that of the monster created by Dr. Frankenstein had a mind of its own and  refused to play second fiddle.<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;Why Cant I be the Next President?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>On spirited occasions  Sarath Fonseka has the tendency to  fire off  like a loose cannon. Fonseka began talking of himself as the man who defeated the Tamils like the Rohana and began querying from friends and acquaintances in  bantering tones \u201cWhy can\u2019t I be the next president?\u201dAs far as Sarath was concerned  it was he and not Mahinda who won the war and saved the country.As news of this changed attitude was conveyed to the Rajapaksa brothers the alarm bells started ringing. A real  or imaginary threat to the Mahinda&#8217;s political fortunes was perceived.<\/p>\n<p>There  continued various irritants between the Rajapaksas and Fonseka. Some of the noteworthy ones included the one where former  first Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa and elder son Namal were stopped by the army on a journey to the north and were delayed unduly for hours. This was seen as being done at the behest of Fonseka himself.<\/p>\n<p>On July 9 2009  Fonseka spoke at a book launch about the war in which he heaped compliments upon himself lavishly. Token lip service was paid to the President\u2019s role. Gotabaya was virtually ignored. According to Sarath he and he alone had won the war with the President\u2019s support. It was a one-man show. This implied that Sarath and not Mahinda was the saviour of the nation.<\/p>\n<p>Another  incident was the felicitation ceremony at Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda on July 10 2009. All traffic was stopped along the Galle Road for hours. There were massive security arrangements made arbitrarily by Sarath\u2019s security personnel causing much hardship to people.Sarath waxed eloquent about his role in winning the war alone to an appreciative home audience.There were increasing signs that Sarath and his merrymen in the army were becoming a law unto themselves. It was as if a parallel authority was being exercised by Fonseka in certain spheres.<\/p>\n<p>Sarath Fonseka had strong likes and dislikes. He despised some of his officers  and discriminated against them unfairly while favouring others whom he liked.  One of the senior officers  who fell foul of him was Jagath Jayasuriya. Fonseka  called him weak and inefficient and refused to let him go up to the frontlines. Jayasuriya the Wanni region commander was  kept in charge of administration and logistics but not allowed any battlefront duties. Jayasuriya however was a distant relative of the Rajapaksas and had access to both Mahinda and Gota. This irritated Fonseka further.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Aide De Camp Interrogated<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In what was a very   high-handed incident  military officials acting under the orders of Fonseka arrested the aide de camp of Jagath Jayasuriya for questioning. The aide de camp  was interrogated about the personal relationship he had with Jagath Jayasuriya. He was specifically asked about the time he  allegedly spent in the company of Jayasuriya in the Wanni commander&#8217;s chalet. The  line of questioning aimed at establishing that a homosexual relationship existed between both. At one stage there was even a plan  to arrest Jayasuriya also  but  when the Rajapaksas became aware of it the move was thwarted.<\/p>\n<p>It was against this backdrop that the  Mahinda government made its move. Suddenly Fonseka\u2019s world went crashing down. He was urgently summoned on July 12th 2009  and given three days to bow out as Army Chief and  take over as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).Reluctantly Fonseka submitted to the ultimatum  and relinquished his army chief post and became CDS. His request that his close associate  and Jaffna commander  Gen. Chandrasiri be made army chief was rejected. The Rajapaksas were in no mood to appoint someone close to Fonseka.<\/p>\n<p>Instead  Jagath Jayasuriya  ranking 9th in seniority was appointed army chief over the heads of eight others. Given Fonseka&#8217;s rebellious attitude the Rajapaksas wanted a trustworthy loyalist as Army commander. Jayasuriya fitted the bill perfectly. As Fonseka &#8220;retired&#8221; on July 15th 2009 as Army commander ,  he was succeeded by Jagath Jayasuriya as army chief on the same day.  From Fonseka&#8217;s perspective this was adding insult to injury.<\/p>\n<p>Though Fonseka remained as CDS , he found himself being undermined systematically within the army by the new commander. Exhibits  pertaining to Fonseka  were removed at the army exhibition. His address at the  Army 60th anniversary function was blacked out in the state and significant sections of the non-state media.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After Fonseka was kicked upstairs as Chief of defence staff (CDS) Jagath Jayasuriya the new  Army commander made  a number of internal appointments, transfers and alterations  within the military structure. Many of the Fonseka loyalists in sensitive posts  were moved out to non-strategic positions. Strategically important positions were filled by persons hostile to Fonseka.The Fonseka effect was being steadily reversed. Even his staff at CDS was infiltrated by elements hostile to him. There was also much talk that Fonseka and those regarded as his  loyalists were being monitored discreetly.<\/p>\n<p>A thoroughly infuriated Sarath Fonseka  then submitted his  resignation coming into effect from December 1st  2009 to former  Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga at 1.30 pm on  Thursday, November 12.The three-page letter outlining 17 reasons for quitting was promptly accepted  as  Mahinda Rajapaksa had given clear instructions that the resignation should be accepted if and when Fonseka submitted it. In that Letter Fonseka made a specific complaint against Jagath Jayasuriya.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Here is the relevant excerpt-<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cThe present Army Commander immediately on assuming duties commenced transferring senior officers who immensely contributed to the war effort during my command tenure including those junior officers working with my wife at the Seva Vanitha Army Branch which was involved in looking after the welfare of the troops, was clearly to challenge the loyalty of officers and most discouraging to the officer corps of the Army, with a wrong signal being transmitted on my authority\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Common Opposition Presidential Candidate<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After  resigning as CDS Fonseka plunged into politics and became the common opposition presidential candidate. During the election campaign the ex-army chief was  very outspoken. In that process he  was very  critical of the then  government, former defence secretary and high-ranking officers from the defence services at that time. Fonseka also frequently played  his favourite tune of claiming credit for the war victory.<\/p>\n<p>In a bid to counter this,  the Mahinda  government   departed from military tradition and \u201carranged\u201d for serving army officers to speak out against Sarath Fonseka both directly and indirectly. The Rajapaksa regime  also ensured that maximum propaganda mileage was  derived from those militaristic pronouncements. Enhanced media coverage was provided.<\/p>\n<p>Thus  the country at large saw  statements attributed to the serving Army Commander Lt. Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya  being  given wide publicity in the media. Some of these  statements by Jayasuriya refuted  Fonseka openly. Even internal  meetings addressing military personnel  within army premises  by Jagath Jayasuriya found their way into the media courtesy of the Defence Ministry websites.<\/p>\n<p>The then Army Spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara  often exceeded his designated mandate by commenting specifically on matters related to Sarath Fonseka. Apart from  this many  other high-ranking army officers  began giving media interviews. Chief among them was  Maj. Gen. Shavendra Silva. Since Sarath Fonseka  had referred critically to Shavendra Silva in an interview given to &#8220;The Sunday Leader&#8221; the Major General had some reason for defending and clearing himself. Nevertheless the practice was not something desirable in the long run.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Part of a Political Agenda<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Other army officers like Maj. Gen. Kamal Gunaratne, Maj. Gen. Chaggi Galage, Maj. Gen. Prasanna Silva, Maj-Gen Kapila Hendavitharana  and Maj-Gen Prasad Samarasinghe also gave  interviews to the state media. Most of these interviews ostensibly related  to military matters and the war against the Tigers but there was  no mistaking the patent  political sub-text.They were all part of a political agenda aimed at undermining Sarath Fonseka and promoting Mahinda Rajapaksa. This type of brazen  politicking by military officers was something unheard of in the not so distant past. All this happened under the watch of the newly appointed army commander Lt.Gen Jagath Jayasuriya.<\/p>\n<p>The conduct of former  Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa was extremely  controversial during the election campaign. Despite the fact that he was a top government servant the then Defence Secretary  engaged  in open  political discourse while addressing public meetings. He gave lots of  media interviews with political overtones. The Defence Ministry website operating under Gota went to town  regularly against Fonseka in favour of Mahinda Rajapaksa.<\/p>\n<p>It was in such a situation that the country went to the presidential poll on January 26th 2010. Mahinda Rajapaksa defeated Sarath Fonseka. Thereafter  the Rajapaksa regime came down  hard on Sarath Fonseka and his supporters. The crackdown commenced immediately after the  Election results were announced.<\/p>\n<p><strong>NEXT:<\/strong> Arrest,Detention and Court Martial<\/p>\n<p>This article written for the &#8220;DBS Jeyaraj Column&#8221; appears in the &#8220;Daily Mirror&#8221; of September 16, 2017, it can be reached via this link:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymirror.lk\/article\/Clash-of-the-Commanders-136742.html\">http:\/\/www.dailymirror.lk\/article\/Clash-of-the-Commanders-136742.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>DBS Jeyaraj can be reached at <a href=\"mailto:dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com\"><font color=\"\">dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com<\/font> <\/a><\/strong><\/em>  <\/p>\n<div id=\"tweetbutton55259\" class=\"tw_button\" style=\"float:right;margin-left:10px;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdbsjeyaraj.com%2Fdbsj%2F%3Fp%3D55259&amp;text=Sarath%20Fonseka%20vs%20Jagath%20Jayasuriya%3A%20Clash%20of%20Two%20%20Ex-%20Army%20Commanders&amp;related=&amp;lang=en&amp;count=horizontal\" class=\"twitter-share-button\"  style=\"width:55px;height:22px;background:transparent url('https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-tweet-button\/tweetn.png') no-repeat  0 0;text-align:left;text-indent:-9999px;display:block;\">Tweet<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The recent spat &#8211; if one may call it that &#8211; between two former commanders of the Sri Lankan army has caused quite a furore. Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka and Lieutenant-General Jagath Jayasuriya have engaged in a heated exchange over issues of both command and control responsibity as well as alleged war crimes. &#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=55259\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading &lsquo;Sarath Fonseka vs Jagath Jayasuriya: Clash of Two  Ex- Army Commanders&rsquo; &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[27],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55259"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=55259"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55259\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55314,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55259\/revisions\/55314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=55259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=55259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=55259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}