Gotabhaya was defence secretary during his brother's rule, when troops were accused of killing up to 40,000 Tamil civilians while crushing the Tamil Tigers. A later government co-sponsored a US-led resolution to appoint an independent panel to look into the actions of both sides in the final stages of Sri Lanka's bloody separatist conflict, although it was never formed. "I am trying to become the president of the future Sri Lanka. Gotabhaya was defence secretary during his brother's rule, when troops were accused of killing up to 40,000 Tamil civilians while crushing the Tamil Tigers. Gotabhaya Rajapakse was addressing the press Tuesday for the first time since launching his bid to become president in an election scheduled for November 16.

Source: Dhaka Tribune October 15, 2019 12:11 UTC