Yahapalana betrayal of country in Geneva resulted in US blacklisting SL Army Chief

The United States blacklisting and imposing a travel ban on Army chief, Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva, was one of the fallouts of the yahapalana government’s 2015 decision to co-sponsor the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution No: 30/1 against Sri Lanka, Parliament was told yesterday.

“It was due to that betrayal of our war heroes that the US imposed sanctions on them,” Leader of the House Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena told Parliament.

He said so when Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, a pro-federalist of Yahapalana government had asked whether the government would ask US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to lift the ban when the latter visits Sri Lanka in the coming days.

“There are media reports that US Secretary of State Pompeo is to visit Sri Lanka. During his stay here, he will meet Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena. I request from the President, the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister to ask Pompeo to lift the travel ban on our army commander. That should be done for the sake of all war heroes.”

Minister Gunawardena: We have already made that request to relevant authorities. We made the request within 24 hours of imposition of the ban. We have informed the US State Department of our position and asked for the lifting of the ban. It was thanks to the great betrayal the previous government did by co-sponsoring a resolution at the UNCHRC against this country that these sanctions came.

Opposition Leader Premadasa: There is no need to write letters. You get an opportunity to meet Pompeo face to face, that request could be made there.

Minister Gunawardena: You should have told that to your government’s foreign minister before he was leading the co-sponsoring. Your government committed a grave offence. These are the consequences of that betrayal.

Opposition Leader Premadasa: You can ask former President Maithripla Sirisena he would confirm that it was I who pushed his name for the post of army commander. General Shavendra Silva too knows it. You, too, can ask him.

Minister Gunawardena said that the government had already commenced a campaign under President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to withdraw the co-sponsorship to rectify the betrayal committed by the previous government and to standby the war heroes’ interests in the international front.

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