"It was close upon midnight Thursday [Sept. 30, 2010] when former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka was escorted into an isolated cell in Ward "S" at the high security Welikada Prison. Fonseka, now Prisoner No: 0/22032, changed from a national dress into an ill-fitting jumper, the regular attire for convicts and slept the night on a mat on the cement floor. He had only one pillow.
He was woken up at 5 a.m on Friday, like all other inmates in the block. His cell had a toilet but he complained the flush was not working. He had to walk to a water tank outside the ward. There, he had to use a bucket to draw water to wash or bathe. Later, with a metal jug on one hand and a metal plate on the other, he stood in the queue with other convicts to be served breakfast. It was rice and pol [coconut] sambol. As a prelude to Prison officials assigning him his daily chores, a doctor examined him. Tailors at the prison also took his correct measurements to provide him more jumpers to suit his size.
For lunch on Friday, he joined the queue again with the metal cup and plate. Lunch was rice, a watery cucumber curry, dhal, a vegetable Mellun (dry curry or condiment made of minced leaves or fruit and scraped coconut) with a small piece of fish and gravy. Immediately thereafter, he was back in his cell until 2 p.m. After a short break outside with more chores, he returned to the cell at 7 p.m. The lights go out at that time and he would have to sleep in the darkness until dawn next morning.
That will now be the daily routine for Fonseka, the former Commander of the Army, who led troops for the military defeat of Tiger guerrillas in May last year. Promoted to become the only serving General in the Army's 61 year history, he earned many plaudits from UPFA [government] leaders. He was dubbed the "best Army Commander in the world." Public ceremonies were held in temples and schools countrywide to felicitate him. There is little or no doubt, that Fonseka's rich military acumen contributed in no small measure to the victory. . .
Exactly two weeks after he was stripped of his rank, his titles, his medals of decoration and his pension forfeited, Fonseka was sentenced to two and half years of rigorous imprisonment. The first punishment came on September 17 after a General Court Martial (GCM) found him guilty of "dabbling in politics." A second GCM recommended the sentence of two and half year's rigorous imprisonment after he was found guilty of "disgraceful conduct" over military procurements." [end of quote]
Sri Lankans now enjoy peace after 30 years of a catastrophic civil war. There are no suicide bombers or massacres by "the most ruthless terrorist organization in the world", the LTTE. But, the man who commanded the army is now a prisoner, the victim of trumped-up charges and kangaroo courts. Shame on all of us for allowing this to happen.
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