Loser

This is former General Sareth Fonseka who has been convicted today to a sentence of three years on a charge of ‘spreading disaffection’.

He was head of the Sri Lankan army when the Tamil Tigers were finally, after 20 years, defeated in May 2009. Later in 2009 he left the army and had the temerity to run a strong campaign against the well entrenched Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, in a December election. Days after losing the election he was arrested by Rajapaksa’s regime, and subsequently court-martialled and stripped of his rank. He has been in jail ever since.

Today’s conviction arose from remarks he had made suggesting that government politicians (including the president’s brother) had been complicit in war crimes towards the end of the civil war. Most people outside of Sri Lanka believe the regime was complicit in war crimes. Most people inside Sri Lanka only have access to state controlled or censored media.

Given that he was head of the army at the end of the war, it is quite possible (probable even) that Fonseka also has blood on his hands, and that he only raised the issue for political ends. Such is the nature of Sri Lankan politics. Although he has been in jail for the past two years and likely will be for many more, Fonseka is at least more fortunate than the political cartoonist Prageeth Eknelygoda who went missing in the wake of the election on 24th January 2010. His wife and children haven't seen him since.

This photo was taken in the days following the election.

I love the way the poster has partially been ripped down. Its a telling story of 'yesterday's man.' I hope you can't be accused of being too political in taking photos like this Andrew
David.

But isn't this political, comments have been slated for less

Like it alot

judgement time for everyone atlast....

A thought provoking shot and it's always interesting to have some background information on the subject.

I like the photo but the story reminds me of the sides of human nature I try to forget

And we think our politicians are bad - we honestly don't know how great we have it. Still... Having seen the 'Sri Lankan Killing Fields' doco, rather puts this guy's misfortune in perspective.

I agree with David's comments re the picture, couldn't have summed the shot up so concisely myself.

Thanks for the comments all.

David - I won't get in any trouble if I post the shot and explanation here. I might if it was somewhere that would attract attention. An acquaintance was deported last year for saying the wrong thing to a journalist. You do have to mind your p's and q's - but generally speaking the government's only really bothered if you're broadcasting unfiltered information within Sri Lanka.

The government really got its knockers in a twist about that documentary when it was broadcast in the UK, Pentaxophile. They always do when something even vaguely critical is said about Sri Lanka, and that was a lot more than vaguely critical. It rattled cages even though people here couldn't see it. As usually happens here, in its wake various Sri Lankan experts were trotted out to observe how the war crimes allegations were simply more evidence of a gigantic western conspiracy. The thing these observers always omit is why 'the West' would be so concerned about a tiny spec off the southeast coast of India.

Sri Lankan politics is a nasty business - murderous even without a civil war going on. The paradox is that Sri Lankan people are overwhelmingly friendly and courteous. To outsiders at least - I understand there is a great deal of envy and suspicion in local communities which maybe is the root of the problem.