A salvo of accusations is being levelled at the Army for the way Army officers treated General Sarath Fonseka, dragging him out of his office as if he were a common criminal, or an animal. We cannot blame the Army as such. We must put the blame on the fact that the perpetrators of the act are Sri Lankans.
What happened to General Fonseka was a repeat performance of a political scene enacted 350 years ago, after the fall of Kandy in 1815. When the British troops took control of Kandy, the King of Kandy went into hiding. He was soon found by a section of his own Army, men who were not loyal to the King. They informed the British authorities, and British officers went to meet the King.
They found the King bound, ill-clad, and being dragged along the ground. The British officers said this was no way to treat a King. They insisted the King be given proper clothing befitting a King and that he be taken back to captivity with dignity, on horseback.
P. A. Binduhewa,
Panadura
|
E-mail
