Shortly after being appointed defence secretary in his brother's Cabinet in early 2006, Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa submitted a long list of expensive war equipment he wanted to buy. Many, including then President Mahinda Rajapaksa, were surprised.
Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa's response was simple and direct. "All of you will start with hopes of talking peace with the Tigers," he told them, referring to the insurgent outfit, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. "When you realise it is futile, you will come to me. I cannot wait until that moment. I need all this now to be fully prepared."
Already a subscriber? Log in
Read the full story and more at $9.90/month
Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month
ST One Digital
$9.90/month
No contract
ST app access on 1 mobile device
Unlock these benefits
All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com
Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device
E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you
