tirsdag 10. juli 2012

GR: People will kill you..!!! People hate you..!!! They will kill you...!!!

Gota Goes Berserk By Frederica Jansz Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa went berserk when contacted by The Sunday Leader journalist, Frederica Jansz, to clarify and find out if he was aware that the management at SriLankan Airlines had taken a decision to change a wide bodied A340 scheduled to fly to Zurich on Friday July 13, to a smaller A330. The change was to be made so that a SriLankan Airline pilot, Capt. Praveen Wijesinghe, who is dating a niece of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Madini Chandradasa, could personally fly the aircraft that would carry a ‘puppy dog’ for Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa from Zurich. When asked, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, while denying that he had any knowledge that CEO Kapila Chandrasena had ordered the change of aircraft from an A340 to an A330 as Capt. Wijesinghe was not qualified to fly the bigger aircraft, admitted that Capt. Wijesinghe would indeed be ‘passengering’ on one sector so he could bring down the dog for his wife. “Yes they are bringing a puppy – it is for my wife.” When it was pointed out that bringing the dog was not the issue – but a loss of revenue for the airline as an entire aircraft was to be replaced with a smaller bodied plane – resulting in the loss of 56 passengers, Rajapaksa turned abusive. Please read the conversations on July 5 and 6 to see how vulgar Gotabhaya can be, the treatment meted out to the journalist and how pervasive is nepotism in Sri Lanka. On Thursday July 5, excerpts of the first telephone conversation: FJ: Mr. Rajapaksa I do not know if you are aware but we have been told that a SriLankan Airlines flight is to fly to Zurich next Friday to bring down a puppy dog for you? GR: So what is wrong with that? It is a regular flight – Yes they are bringing a puppy – it is for my wife. There is nothing wrong with that. I have every right to bring not just a dog but an elephant if I so wish – I am paying for the cargo. I have every right to bring anything I want. This is not the first time – before this also they brought a dog for me…what is wrong – I am paying for the cargo I have every right. FJ: Absolutely. But that is not the issue. We were told that Capt. Praveen Wijesinghe has personally offered to fly to Zurich to bring this dog for you? GR: Yes. So what? He is my friend – I have friends at SriLankan former Air Force officers who will do me favours – What is wrong with that? FJ: But this pilot is not qualified to fly the A340 – and so initially Sri Lankan was pressured to change the aircraft to an A330 in order to accommodate him… GR: No aircraft was changed… FJ: That decision was reverted only after the President of the Pilots Guild objected … GR: Nobody objected! If you write any bloody thing about this I will sue you! I am not afraid of the bloody courts! I have already sued you I will sue you again! That is my right! FJ: Yes. But it is also my right as a journalist to ask you for your side of the story or clarify this story with you since it involves you. GR: You go ask Sri Lankan Airlines!! FJ: We already have. However the issue is this. Any pilot can bring down a dog – it is all about controlling and ensuring the correct air pressure in the cabin. Why should Capt. Praveen Wijesinghe be chosen despite him not being able to fly the aircraft on one sector and having to passenger as a result… GR: So what? Yes he is passengering so what is wrong with that? I am telling you again if you write any bloody word about this I will sue your f…..g newspaper – this is the way you all wrote about the MIG deal – without checking you bloody… wrote your f……g version all because somebody told you something… FJ: Which is why I have called you. I am not going by what ‘somebody’ told me. I called you to get your side of the story and to clarify this issue. GR: You write one bloody word and I will sue you!!! I will sue the writer and your f…..g paper again!! FJ: Mr. Rajapaksa, are you threatening me? GR: Yes! I am threatening you! Write every single word I have told you if you want – you write a bloody f…..g word and we will see… FJ: Mr. Rajapaksa I called you as a journalist to inform you of what was happening and get your version but all you have done is abuse me in raw filth… He hung up. On July 6, I again telephoned Mr. Rajapaksa after being informed that a VIP had informed him about the matter and Rajapaksa had said he did not know an aircraft was to be changed in order to accommodate Capt. Praveen Wijesinghe to facilitate the bringing down of the dog in question. Rajapaksa had told the VIP that if this was the case he would fly the dog down on another airline. I then decided that given the fact that he would take action on the matter and ensure there was no loss in revenue to SriLankan Airlines, I would not carry the story. I however telephoned Mr. Rajapaksa again to tell him that my decision was based purely on him promising to take action and not because he blatantly threatened me the previous day and used foul language. Excerpts of the telephone conversation on July 6, 2012 FJ: Mr. Rajapaksa I am calling you again because I have now been told that Mr. …….. spoke with you this morning and you had said you were not aware that the management at SriLankan were changing a plane resulting in a loss of 56 passengers in order to accommodate Capt. Praveen Wijesinghe to bring down a puppy dog for you… GR: I warned you yesterday not to speak with me. If these pilots are idiots to change a plane for this… that is not my fault. I was doing this the right way – but these pilots are fighting among themselves. And you shit journalists listen to them. They are f……g idiots… This is not my fault. FJ: True. But the fact is a decision like this was taken and later changed when pressure was brought on the management by senior pilots… GR: That is not correct! I have since checked and there was no such decision. FJ: There definitely was. However since you have promised to take action I have decided to hold the story but I want you to know that I am not doing so because you threatened me yesterday… GR: Yes I threatened you. Your type of journalists are pigs who eat shit! Pigs who eat shit! Shit, Shit Shit journalists!!! Ninety percent of the people in this country hate you! They hate you!!! You come for a function where I am and I will tell people this is the Editor of The Sunday Leader and ninety percent there will show that they hate you. FJ: I don’t think so. GR: You don’t? That is your ego!! You are a shit, shit journalist. A f…..g shit. A pig who eats shit! I will go to courts!!! I will not withdraw the case on the MIG deal – this is how you wrote… FJ: I had nothing to do with that story so I cannot comment. GR: But I will put you in jail! You shit journalist trying to split this country – trying to show otherwise from true Sinhala Buddhists!! You are helped by the US Ambassador, NGOs and Paikiasothy – they pay you!!! FJ: I wish. GR: You pig that eats shit!!! You shit shit dirty f…..g journalist!!! FJ: I hope you can hear yourself Mr. Rajapaksa. GR: People will kill you!!! People hate you!!! They will kill you!!! FJ: On your directive? GR: What?? No. Not mine. But they will kill you – you dirty f…..g shit journalist. ----------------------------------------------------------------- If this is how a person of Gotabhaya’s stature treats a reputed journalist, one can imagine how helpless Tamil civilians will fare in the hands of Sinhalese military. During the Vanni operations Gotabhaya as Defence Secretary was reported to have given instructions to the Sinhalese soldiers to see the rivers and seas turn red with Tamil blood and women are fair game. At that time many believed this to be wild rumours, but Channel 4 revelations proved that this was not idle gossip. Journalist in Sri Lanka must be brave, like Frederica Jansz, to face terrorising politicians while engaging in their professional jobs. Gotabhaya is not the only one who can behave like this; there are many others who engage in rape, murder and kidnapping. They are not bothered about the courts, as either the courts are powerless or they take instructions from politicians. This is democracy in Sri Lanka where rules of law don’t apply. India insists that the Tamils should live in a unified Sri Lanka, where they would enjoy equality and live in dignity. How does one enjoy liberty or dignity in a state ruled by thugs and terrorists? Another matter to be noted in the above affair is the level of nepotism practised in Sri Lanka. The country is ruled by Rajapaksa and his siblings. The CEO of Sri Lanka Airways is a brother in Law of the president. At all levels of government or business one will find Rajapaksa’s relatives in charge. Each politician has his list of relatives in higher positions. In such a system where does a Tamil or a Muslim fit in? When the country is in dire financial straits, Gotabhaya enjoys the opulence of importing a puppy by air. The Internally Displaced Tamils (IDPs) don’t even have a roof over their heads, leave alone food, water or proper sanitation. Is the Sri Lankan government or, for that matter, the International Community or India bothered about these? ...VISVANATHAN

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