Sri Lanka protests US plans to quiz army chief

COLOMBO – Sri Lanka protested yesterday against plans by US officials to quiz its top military commander over alleged war crimes committed during the final months of the war with Tamil Tiger rebels.

Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said the US Department of Homeland Security had requested that General Sarath Fonseka, who is currently visiting his daughters in Oklahoma, make himself available for questioning tomorrow.’Our position is that the meeting should not take place,’ Bogollagama told reporters, adding that Fonseka was holding a Sri Lankan diplomatic passport and was representing the government on official work.The minister said the US authorities were trying to force Fonseka to testify ‘as a possible source’ against Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse over allegations of human rights violations.The defence secretary, who hold US citizenship, is the younger brother of President Mahinda Rajapakse.Earlier yesterday, Bogollagama had summoned the US ambassador and lodged a formal protest.Fonseka is a Green Card holder and travelled to the United States last week to visit his two daughters. He also addressed a group of Sri Lankans in Washington and took credit for leading the battle to crush the Tigers.Bogollagama said Fonseka could not divulge sensitive information to third parties regarding his work with the Sri Lankan government.The US plan to interview Fonseka followed the recent publication of a US State Department dossier outlining allegations of serious rights violations by both sides towards the end of Sri Lanka’s decades-old conflict with Tamil Tiger separatists.- Nampa-AFP