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President hugs the ground following misleading tip give by Shavendra |
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2009-10-08 | 4.10 PM |
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Sources from the Army said the President after arriving in the country from overseas in May this year, hugged and kissed the ground after descending from the airplane following a misleading piece of information given by Major General Shavendra Silva.
The President had called Brigadier Shavendra Silva from the airplane as soon as it landed at the Katunayake Airport and inquired to the latest news from the battlefront when Brigadier Silva had said LTTE Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed by the security forces.
Jubilant after hearing the news, the President had decided to kiss the ground following the advice of a Muslim minister.
The President had later heard from the security chiefs that the war had not ended by then when he reached the VIP terminal at the airport after kissing the ground. Angered by the turn of events, the President had shouted at the
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security chiefs before leaving the airport after the religious observances.
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa had ordered the forces chiefs to kill Prabhakaran and end the war before Army Chief Lt. General Sarath Fonseka returned to the island from an official visit to China.
The Special Forces units had then acted on the orders and moved away from tradition, walking on foot to LTTE areas that resulted in the death of 22 soldiers. Over 80 soldiers were injured in the attack.
The military chiefs in the battlefront had then decided not to carry out orders issued by the Defence Secretary. |
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