CBK: ‘My govt. liberated 65% of LTTE controlled territory’
* Rajapaksas suffering from memory loss
* Ballot rigging possible; monitors needed
December 16, 2014, 12:00 pm by Zacki Jabbar
Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga yesterday lashed out at President Mahinda Rajapaksa saying that he was talking as if she had contributed nothing to the war against the LTTE.
Kumaratunga told a news conference at her residence in Colombo that when she left office in 2005 around sixty five percent of the territory under the control of the Tamil Tigers including Jaffna, which at that time was its nerve center had been captured.
"We drove the LTTE out of Jaffna in December 1995 about one year after I became president. By the time I left office in 2005, sixty five percent of the land extent under Prabhakaran’s control had been liberated," she said, adding that the present government had cleared only the remaining 35 percent occupied by the Tamil Tigers.
"But, unlike the Rajapaksas, I will not take all the credit for our achievements. Battles were won due to a team effort which included the security forces chiefs and their men on the battle front. We also cannot forget the sacrifices that the people of all comminutes made to achieve our goals.
Mahinda and his siblings are suffering from a memory loss syndrome," the former President observed.
She said that ever since May 2009, the masses had been bombarded with claims that it was the Rajapaksas and Rajapaksas alone who had liberated the country while making no mention that it was under her administration that the hard work had been done and the foundation laid for the final assault.
Predicting that the ruling UPFA would rig next month’s Presidential Election, Kumaratunga urged foreign governments to send as many observers as possible to ensure a free and fair election.
Rajapaksa had, she said, resorted to underhand dealings and trickery at previous elections and it was bound to happen again as the stakes were very high this time round.
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