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Sri Lankan minister denounces ‘fake letter’ on brigadier suspension

Sri Lanka’s Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera has denounced a letter that has been circulating on social media calling for the suspension of Sri Lanka's Defence Attache to London as “fake”.

In a tweet on Thursday, Mr Samaraweera said the letter was produced by the “Rajapaksa clan” and said it had been reported to the CID to “bring the perpetrators to justice”.

He also published an image of the alleged letter, which states that Brigadier Priyanka Fernando would be suspended and “court-martialled as soon as he arrives in Sri Lanka” after he was filmed making a throat-slitting gesture to Tamils protesting in London. The letter was addressed to the British Tamils Forum, a Tamil diaspora organisation based in London.

The incident has led to several British parliamentarians calling for his expulsion, however, after an initial suspension from duties Sri Lanka’s president re-instated the brigadier. The military said no inquiry would take place into the incident and several Sri Lankan ministers have come out in praise of his actions.

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