Sunday Leader Editor produces her note book to court

The chief editor of a Sri Lankan English weekly today (21) produced the original notes of the controversial interview with former Army Commander and Democratic National Alliance parliamentarian retired General Sarath Fonseka.

The Sunday Leader newspaper Editor Frederica Jansz today (21) produced her notebook that carried details of the interview with General Fonseka to the Colombo Magistrate's Court.

Ms. Jansz submitted the transcripts when the case filed by the Attorney General against the Sunday Leader was taken up today before Chief Magistrate Champa Janaki Rajaratna. General Fonseka was also produced in the court today.

During the controversial interview General Fonseka has reportedly made the allegation that the Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa had ordered to shoot the LTTE leaders approaching the security forces with white flags during the final stages of the war against the LTTE last year.

The government alleges that the interview with Sarath Fonseka had been an offence under the Emergency Regulations.

Courts after noting that the 89-page notebook included some blank pages, had directed to keep the book under safe custody.

The "white flag' allegation has prompted the United Nations and other international organizations to urge for an international war crime inquiry on Sri Lanka's war.

General Fonseka later recanted the accusations saying that the media misinterpreted his comments. However, the editor defended her story saying that she had quoted the retired General 'perfectly accurately'.

The case is to be taken up again on July 12.