-By Legal Correspondent
(Lanka-e-News -23.March.2025, 10.30 PM) In the world of Sri Lankan politics, skeletons don’t stay in closets—they march in parades. And leading the latest parade is a rather troubling phone call, allegedly made by former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa to then-Brigadier Shavendra Silva, ordering him to kill surrendering LTTE leaders rather than accept their surrender.
If true, this wouldn't just be another case of political amnesia. It would be a direct violation of international law, U.S. law (given Gotabaya’s former U.S. citizenship), and basic human decency. But Sri Lanka being Sri Lanka, every past government has done its best to sweep this under the rug—a rug now so lumpy with buried scandals that it’s practically a trip hazard.
The story goes like this: In the final days of the war, several senior LTTE leaders, waving white flags, attempted to surrender. However, instead of being taken into custody, they were allegedly executed on the orders of Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The alleged command was given over the phone to then-Brigadier Shavendra Silva, who followed through without hesitation.
Of course, when the "White Flag" trial came knocking, Gotabaya vehemently denied ever issuing such an order. He claimed it was all a fabrication—because in Sri Lankan politics, nothing is ever anyone’s fault.
Fast forward a few years, and Brigadier Silva had quite the glow-up—rising to Army Commander and later Chief of Defence Staff. Coincidence? Maybe. But if there’s one thing more predictable than Sri Lankan politicians denying wrongdoing, it’s Sri Lankan politicians rewarding loyalty.
Now that Gotabaya Rajapaksa is out of power and out of excuses, Sri Lanka has a rare opportunity: an actual government (Hello, NPP!) that could investigate this properly. The new administration has the duty to establish:
What exactly was said during that phone call?
Did Gotabaya Rajapaksa explicitly order the execution of surrendering LTTE leaders?
What records exist of the communication between Gotabaya and Shavendra Silva?
Why did every previous government block this investigation like a bad cricket umpire?
Would Shavendra Silva now be willing (or forced) to testify under a government that doesn’t owe its existence to the Rajapaksas?
One of the most suspicious elements of this entire saga is the gag order placed on witnesses and journalists attempting to write about the White Flag case. The Sunday Leader, the newspaper that first published the explosive allegations, faced immense pressure, while Sarath Fonseka, who spilled the tea on Gotabaya’s alleged orders, ended up facing legal action himself.
Ah, Sri Lanka—where exposing war crimes gets you jailed, while ordering war crimes gets you elected President.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa may no longer be in power, but accountability doesn’t retire. The NPP government now has a golden opportunity to reopen this case and get some real answers. Because at the end of the day, this isn't just about political revenge—it's about justice, truth, and whether Sri Lanka will ever stop being the country where leaders commit crimes in broad daylight and then act shocked when someone notices.
So, General Shavendra Silva—are you ready to talk?
-By Legal Correspondent
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by (2025-03-23 17:05:39)
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