‘How I was made the scapegoat,’ Thilak K. tells it all
Sunday 26 August 2012
Thilak Karunaratne who resigned under pressure as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, said he would keep talking publicly about issues in the Colombo bourse till the government is forced to act against members of the ‘stock market mafia.’ Excerpts from the interview:
Have members of the so-called ‘stock market mafia’ reached out to you since your resignation?
No.
What really happened?
This pressure had been there for some time. It did not come overnight. And when we started investigating into these matters there were calls. The famous thing was that Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) employees were UNPers and they were trying to harass these poor investors, so don’t go by what they are saying! There are no UNPers as far as I’m aware at the SEC. The staff is very committed.
Are you going to give up and go away?
No, I will keep the pressure on, through the media mainly, so that the government will be forced to take some action against these guys.
Sunday 26 August 2012
By Namini Wijedasa
Thilak Karunaratne who resigned under pressure as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, said he would keep talking publicly about issues in the Colombo bourse till the government is forced to act against members of the ‘stock market mafia.’ Excerpts from the interview:Have members of the so-called ‘stock market mafia’ reached out to you since your resignation?
No.
What really happened?
This pressure had been there for some time. It did not come overnight. And when we started investigating into these matters there were calls. The famous thing was that Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) employees were UNPers and they were trying to harass these poor investors, so don’t go by what they are saying! There are no UNPers as far as I’m aware at the SEC. The staff is very committed.
Are you going to give up and go away?
No, I will keep the pressure on, through the media mainly, so that the government will be forced to take some action against these guys.
Do you think the investors who are alleged to have manipulated the stock market are feeling the pressure?
Well, that is what I understand. A lot of people have shown interest in this. COPE has taken it up and in parliament, there has been a motion to summon me again before COPE. And according to what I understand, the speaker has been enthusiastic. Almost all people are aware of the issues now and the main thing is the Sinhala media covered it extensively.
Well, that is what I understand. A lot of people have shown interest in this. COPE has taken it up and in parliament, there has been a motion to summon me again before COPE. And according to what I understand, the speaker has been enthusiastic. Almost all people are aware of the issues now and the main thing is the Sinhala media covered it extensively.
