Neither I nor anyone under me linked to Lasantha killing – Brig. Duminda Keppetiwalana!
Neither I nor anyone under me linked to Lasantha killing – Brig. Duminda Keppetiwalana!
Monday, 26 January 2015
Retired Brig. Duminda Keppetiwalana of the Sri Lanka Army, connecting with us via telephone with regard to the article published by our website on January 24, told us the following.
We are publishing same as per the right to reply open for parties mentioned in our articles.
“It is incorrect to say that intelligence officers under me, as the commanding officer of Colombo, had given information regarding the movements of ‘The Sunday Leader’ editor Lasantha Wickrematuga, as reported by Lanka News Web. I entirely reject those allegations.
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and military officers loyal to him made a big attempt following the defeat of Gen. Sarath Fonseka at the 2010 presidential election to blame the murder on him. Soon after the election, they kept me for three months under detention orders, exerted intense pressure on me and my family members, to obtain a confession from me after blaming the killing on me. But, I was not prepared to accept responsibility for something I had not done. In the end, they had no option but to release me. I was arrested by the then IGP Mahinda Balasuriya, who is also a relative of mine.
On 30 January 2010, nearly 12 senior military officers, including me, were sent on retirement by president’s secretary Lalith Weeratunga on the instructions of president Mahinda Rajapaksa. Thereafter, I went overseas for employment. Five years later, I returned with the hope that justice would be meted out. But, it was saddening that instead of justice, we had to respond again to the false allegations leveled against us by the Rajapaksa regime. In operational duties, I was a frontline officer of the infantry troops. I will never bow my head to injustice. If I am given a chance, I am prepared to carry out my obligations by the motherland again.”
Published below are two letters sending him on compulsory retirement.
Editor’s note:
We never said Brig. Duminda Keppetiwalana was linked to the Lasantha Wickrematunga murder. What we said was that the military intelligence under him had supplied information to the underworld. It was not a fabrication by us, but verified in CID investigations. We only reported it.
But, here we have to believe Brig. Keppetiwalana, because we too, accept that had he given the information, he would not have been spared by Gotabhaya. We are reiterating to him that what we did was reporting only. However, if his family or he has suffered pain of mind or damage to reputation, our editorial expresses its deep regret.
Monday, 26 January 2015
Retired Brig. Duminda Keppetiwalana of the Sri Lanka Army, connecting with us via telephone with regard to the article published by our website on January 24, told us the following.
We are publishing same as per the right to reply open for parties mentioned in our articles.
“It is incorrect to say that intelligence officers under me, as the commanding officer of Colombo, had given information regarding the movements of ‘The Sunday Leader’ editor Lasantha Wickrematuga, as reported by Lanka News Web. I entirely reject those allegations.
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and military officers loyal to him made a big attempt following the defeat of Gen. Sarath Fonseka at the 2010 presidential election to blame the murder on him. Soon after the election, they kept me for three months under detention orders, exerted intense pressure on me and my family members, to obtain a confession from me after blaming the killing on me. But, I was not prepared to accept responsibility for something I had not done. In the end, they had no option but to release me. I was arrested by the then IGP Mahinda Balasuriya, who is also a relative of mine.
On 30 January 2010, nearly 12 senior military officers, including me, were sent on retirement by president’s secretary Lalith Weeratunga on the instructions of president Mahinda Rajapaksa. Thereafter, I went overseas for employment. Five years later, I returned with the hope that justice would be meted out. But, it was saddening that instead of justice, we had to respond again to the false allegations leveled against us by the Rajapaksa regime. In operational duties, I was a frontline officer of the infantry troops. I will never bow my head to injustice. If I am given a chance, I am prepared to carry out my obligations by the motherland again.”
Published below are two letters sending him on compulsory retirement.
Editor’s note:
We never said Brig. Duminda Keppetiwalana was linked to the Lasantha Wickrematunga murder. What we said was that the military intelligence under him had supplied information to the underworld. It was not a fabrication by us, but verified in CID investigations. We only reported it.
But, here we have to believe Brig. Keppetiwalana, because we too, accept that had he given the information, he would not have been spared by Gotabhaya. We are reiterating to him that what we did was reporting only. However, if his family or he has suffered pain of mind or damage to reputation, our editorial expresses its deep regret.
Sunday, 25 January 2015
CID investigations have revealed that a paramilitary group comprising members of the Army and the underworld had murdered ‘The Sunday Leader’ editor Lasantha Wickrematunga on an order by former defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
Intelligence personnel serving under Brig. Duminda Keppetiwalana, commander of Colombo at the time, had provided information regarding the movements of Wickrematunga under the plan to kill him.
A deserter of the Special Forces identified as Galabada alias Thappara Katta had knifed the senior journalist to death, CID investigations point out.
He is the same person who had gunned down Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra, the trade union affairs adviser to the former president. Four days prior to the shooting incident, the high court had released him on bail. He had carried out criminal contracts under MP R. Duminda Silva. He has disappeared thanks to the white vans gang in order to cover up the murders forever.
Certain military personnel will expose those who had masterminded these killings, say our sources. The CID has resumed these investigations that had been stalled during the previous regime. CID officials say there is an attempt to transfer the investigators in order to hide these investigations once again.
