Sri Lanka shows the way

[Neel Here]

as someone who fervently wanted this beautiful country to return to normalcy, I kept a close watch on the events in Sri Lanka starting from the military campaign on the LTTE, the eventual victory and then the usual western machinations to bring the country under its thumb with the usual human rights stick to beat it with, aided by their stooge Gen Sarath Fonseka, who, in addition to being the chief of SL army, was also a US GC holder ! this election was an existential battle for the soul of sri lanka, would it finally fall to the west's attempts at controlling the country by proxy after defeating their stooge the LTTE or will the lankan people get a chance to decide their own future as a sovereign nation ?
thankfully, the stooge has lost.

NEWSMAKER - Sri Lanka's Rajapaksa wins re-election
Wed Jan 27, 2010 9:04pm IST

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By Shihar Aneez

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday won his second war in a year, crushing an electoral challenge by the former army chief who broke ranks with him just months after they claimed victory over Tamil rebels.

The veteran politician, 64, defied forecasts he would race to a photo finish with General Sarath Fonseka, turning in a 57.8 percent tally against the popular soldier's 40.2 percent.

In doing so, Rajapaksa may have shown his neophyte challenger that four decades of battlefield experience were no match for his 40 years of practice in political combat. It was not the first time an enemy may have underestimated him.

Tamil Tiger separatist leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran may have brought about his own end by helping bring Rajapaksa to power. He ordered Tamils to boycott the 2005 election, which deprived Rajapaksa's competitor Ranil Wickremesinghe of victory.

Rajapaksa became Sri Lanka's youngest-ever legislator in 1970 at the age of 24, and has served as both labour minister and prime minister.

Although Rajapaksa is comfortable moving among the people, quick with a joke or a pat on the back, he has displayed steely resolve at times and the ability to beat back opponents.

He worked quickly to sideline Fonseka after the war, creating a new job for him in which he had no troops at his command after suspecting the general may attempt a coup or otherwise try to subvert his vast powers.

Those factors led Fonseka to quit and enter the poll race, bringing his warrior's swagger onto the campaign trail, accusing the president of corruption and nepotism........
http://in.reuters.com/article/southA...45740020100127

[Tigers_eye]

Hmmm!! I don't like this proceedings. Hope no turmoil follows. Enough blood shed already.

[Rabz]

General Fonseka already rejected the result and plans to appeal to the EC.