Sri Lankan envoy criticizes Canada over inquiry calls

 Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird rises during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Tuesday October 4, 2011. (Adrian Wyld / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Mike Blanchfield, The Canadian Press

Date: Sunday Oct. 16, 2011 11:31 AM ET

OTTAWA — Sri Lanka says Canada is falling for terrorist "propaganda" with its newfound criticism of the Asian country's human-rights record and its demands for an international inquiry.

"We are not happy about the statements being made. ... We want Canada to see the correct situation," High Commissioner Chitranganee Wagiswara told The Canadian Press in a recent interview.

Wagiswara's remarks are the first public rebuttal of the hard line the Conservatives have recently adopted against the Sri Lankan government.

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird has criticized Sri Lanka for blocking international efforts to investigate the conduct of its forces in the final days of its long civil war against the terrorist Tamil Tigers.

Human-rights organizations estimate tens of thousands of innocent civilians were killed in the Sri Lanka military's crushing defeat of the Tigers in May 2009.

In his speech to the United Nations General Assembly, and in the House of Commons, Baird said last month there are "credible" and "serious" allegations of war crimes against Sri Lanka. Baird also pressed Wagiswara directly on the issue during a meeting last month in Ottawa.

Baird's rhetoric marked a shift for the Conservative government, which until last month appeared firmly aligned with the Sri Lankan government in its 26-year civil war. The Tories officially listed the Tamil Tigers as a terrorist organization in 2006, and have moved to toughen the immigration law partly to dissuade boatloads of Tamil migrants for setting sail for Canada's west coast.

Wagiswara said that even though the Tigers were devastated militarily in Sri Lanka, they have a strong political wing that is alive and well in Europe, and "their propaganda machinery is very much intact."

She said the Tigers have launched a "propaganda war" aimed at turning international opinion against her government.

"This is still the Tamil Tigers in a different phase. Canada doesn't recognize the Tigers."

The Sri Lankan envoy said she wants Canada "to see this point of view and not be taken in by this propaganda that is going on."

A leading human-rights group said the Sri Lankan government is using terrorism as an excuse to keep from giving a full international accounting of its military action.

"There's been so much criticism coming from very independent sources. You had a number of special rapporteurs, (UN Secretary General) Ban ki-Moon's panel, Human Rights Watch, International Crisis Group, Amnesty (International)," said Elaine Pearson, deputy director of the Asia division of Human Rights Watch.

"To allege that all these organizations are somehow on the LTTE (Tigers) payroll is just quite ridiculous."

Sri Lanka is also claiming a diplomatic victory at the United Nations Human Rights Council over Canada last month. Canada tabled and then suddenly withdrew a proposal that would have brought Sri Lanka's conduct in the civil war under closer scrutiny.

In mid-September, Canada sponsored a proposal calling for "an interactive dialogue" on the final report of Sri Lanka's Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission at the Geneva-based council's next session next March.

But Canada quickly withdrew the motion. The Foreign Affairs Department was not able to explain the action when asked about the matter a week ago.

Wagiswara said her government vigorously lobbied the council to block the Canadian initiative. "We got a lot of support because the countries understood," she said.

The council's 47 members include countries with dubious human-rights credentials, such as Cuba, China, Angola and Congo. Human-rights groups have dismissed interim versions of Sri Lanka's reconciliation commission report as a whitewash designed to absolve the government.

"If the Sri Lankan government put as much energy into initiating genuine criminal investigations and prosecutions as they do into their diplomatic charm offensives in Geneva and New York, then we'd actually see some genuine accountability," said Pearson.

"We wouldn't then be insisting on an international inquiry two years later."

Pearson said the international community, including Canada, is growing weary of Sri Lanka's unwillingness to openly talk about the final stages of its civil war.

She called Canada's initiative at the UN rights council a positive step, and said it should pursue further action when the panel reconvenes in March.

Meanwhile, Canada is using the coming Commonwealth summit in Australia to pressure Sri Lanka.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has threatened to boycott the 2013 Commonwealth summit that Sri Lanka is hosting unless the country shows that it is genuinely interested in showing accountability and taking meaningful steps toward reconciliation with its Tamil community.

In part, Harper and Baird are being driven by the fact Canada is widely viewed as the home of the largest Tamil diaspora in the world. An estimated 300,000 Tamils now reside in Canada, many in the Toronto area.

The Tories won their majority government in the last election by making major breakthroughs in the ethnic communities of Canada's major cities, and any goodwill they foster among Tamils would only solidify those gains.

The government's silence in condemning the actions of Sri Lanka's military sparked thousands of outraged Tamil protesters to take to the streets of major Canadian cities two years ago.

Now that the Harper government is speaking out, the Sri Lankan government is appealing for silence in the name of rebuilding after nearly three decades of civil strife.

"At this point in time, what we expect from Canada is that same friendship that has been maintained over the years and also understanding, because Sri Lanka has just come out of a terrible, traumatic, agonizing war," said Wagiswara.

Pearson dismissed the Sri Lankan government's line of reasoning as simply disingenuous.

"If they're genuinely concerned about moving forward, then they need to have a better process -- a genuine reconciliation and accountability process -- because otherwise these grievances are not going to be dealt with," said Pearson.

"It breeds more resentment within the Tamil population."

Read more: >>>

Australia pressured to investigate Sri Lanka envoy for warcrimes

By Rob Taylor

CANBERRA | Mon Oct 17, 2011 4:10am BST

(Reuters) - Australia's government came under pressure on Monday from rights groups and lawmakers to investigate Sri Lanka's top envoy to the country for war crimes, risking a diplomatic row ahead of a summit of leaders from 54 Commonwealth nations next week.

The International Commission of Jurists' (ICJ) Australian section has handed police direct and credible evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity by the Sri Lanka Navy during the last stages of the bloody civil war against Tamil rebels in 2009, The Age newspaper said, citing unidentified sources.

Sri Lanka's Canberra high commissioner, former admiral Thisara Samarasinghe was the navy's eastern and then northern areas commander, as well as chief of staff, in the last months of the war, during which naval ships allegedly fired on civilians as they fled the conflict, the paper quoted the ICJ as saying.

"The report ... is extremely serious," said Lee Rhiannon, a senator from Australia's influential Greens Party, which backs Prime Minister Julia Gillard's minority Labour government.

"With a delegation from Sri Lanka, headed up by their President Mahinda Rajapaksa due to arrive shortly in Perth for (the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting), the Australia government can no longer refuse to take action."

Police confirmed they were evaluating the ICJ's brief, received last Friday, but said in an email that they would not comment on possible charges or action until the process was completed.

Australia's government, already wallowing in opinion polls, will be reluctant to add a diplomatic upset to domestic concerns about carbon taxes and border security already worrying voters.

Samarasinghe told The Age that all of his and the navy's actions in the final months of fighting were legal under the rules of conflict.

"There is no truth whatsoever of allegations of misconduct or illegal behaviour. The Sri Lanka Navy did not fire at civilians during any stage and all action was taken to save the lives civilians from clutches of terrorists," he said.

There was no evidence Samarasinghe was directly involved in or gave orders for shelling, The Age said, but the submission before Australian police stated that military superiors held "a command responsibility" for the actions of subordinates.

Amnesty International last month said between 10,000 and 20,000 civilians were killed in the war's last months, but a national inquiry has failed so far to investigate war crimes by both the army and Tamil rebels.

Sri Lanka deflected a Western-led push for a war crimes investigation at recent U.N. Human Rights Council sessions. Western nations are still calling for an independent probe for killing thousands of civilians in May 2009.

A United Nations advisory panel's report says there is "credible evidence" that both sides committed war crimes, which the government hotly contests. Many of the allegations originated with pro-Tamil Tiger sources or propaganda outlets.

Canada has publicly criticized Sri Lanka over its human rights record, setting the scene for a confrontation at the Commonwealth summit next week, at which human rights protesters have also promised to target "war criminals and parasites" among leaders.

The Greens Party's Rhiannon said Australia should follow the lead of the British and Canadian prime ministers, who have both spoken about Sri Lankan war crimes.

Australia's Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd would not immediately comment on the accusations as they were with police, but a spokeswoman for Rudd said Australia had already asked Sri Lanka to respond to the United Nations.

While Sri Lanka is not the official agenda for the Commonwealth summit, Australia expects the issue to come up among leaders as Colombo was hosting the Commonwealth meeting in 2013, she said.

"Australia takes allegations and investigations of war crimes seriously," the spokeswoman added.

(Reporting by Rob Taylor; Editing by Yoko Nishikawa)

Sri Lankan Government’s chief peace negotiator meets Solheim in Oslo

Colombo Telegraph 

IN JOURNALISM TRUTH IS A PROCESSPOSTED  
BY COLOMBO TELEGRAPH ⋅ OCTOBER 15, 2011

By Colombo Telegraph

Sri Lankan Government’s chief peace negotiator and Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva, who is currently on a Norway visit met Norwegian Develop Minister Eric Solheim and other Ministry of Foreign Affairs official in Oslo yesterday and held discussions on the present situation in Sri Lanka and the past cease-fire agreement.

Sources close to the Sri Lankan minister said the talks had lasted nearly an hour and they focussed on ongoing political conflicts, UN Panel Report, Political Solution to long running conflict between ethnic Tamil minorities and the Sri Lankan state and issues surrounding displaced persons.

(CT Norway correspondent NS)

University student leader attacked in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 October 2011, 13:06 GMT]
Suspected Sri Lanka Army intelligence personnel armed with sharp iron rods followed the Jaffna University Student Union leader K. Thavapalan and attacked him at Kantharmadam in Jaffna seriously wounding the student leader who has been mobilizing students in democratic protests against the grease-devil threat recently. Mr. Thavapalan has been admitted at the Intensive Care Unit of Jaffna Teaching Hospital. This is the third iron-rod attack on prominent persons of the civil society in Jaffna after the Vanni war. Suresh Premachandran's secretary Ramesh, who now heads the Valikaamam East Piratheasa Chapai (PS) narrowly escaped from the attackers first. Later, in July 2011, the chief news editor of Uthayan daily, Gnanasundaram Kuganathan, was attacked by the motorbike squad.

Mr. Thavapalan was elected as the leader of the JUSU in 2010.

The Student Union has held a remembrance event on 18 May 2010, paying tribute to the thousands of victims of Vanni war. The event was held amid harassment by the occupying SL military and its paramilitary group, EPDP, which is headed by SL Minister Douglas Devananda.

The EPDP, exerting control on the administrative affairs of the university in Jaffna, has been opposing the election of Mr. Thavapalan.

The Vice Chancellor of Jaffna University, Vasanthy Arasaradnam was forced not to recognize the election Mr. Thavapalan.

However, following the protests by the students, the Vice Chancellor had to finally accept the election of Mr. Thavapalan, but there has been no formal engagements between the JUSU and the University administration, which is under the pressure and influence of the occupying SL military and its agents.

The protest against the grease-devil attack drew thousands of participants from the students of Jaffna.

Despite the disruptive efforts by the SL military intelligence and the EPDP, the student leaders have managed to reflect their voice in meeting foreign envoys visiting Jaffna and in organising public protests.

“The attack on Thavapalan is an attack on the entire student society in Jaffna” said a JUSU representative who met journalists after visiting the attacked student leader at the hospital.

Related Articles:
29.07.11   News Editor attacked in Jaffna 

Sri Lanka diplomat accused of war crimes

   October 17, 2011   Ben Doherty  

Denial ... Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to Australia, Thisara Samarasinghe.

SRI LANKA'S high commissioner to Australia, former admiral Thisara Samarasinghe, should be investigated for war crimes, a brief before the Australian Federal Police says.

The submission, from the International Commission of Jurists' Australian section, has compiled what a source has told the Herald is direct and credible evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity by the Sri Lanka Navy.

There are witnesses - Sri Lankans now living in Australia - who can attest to the alleged crimes, the source said.

The then Admiral Samarasinghe was commander of the navy's eastern and then northern areas, as well as naval chief of staff, in the final years of the bloody civil war against the separatist terrorist group, the Tamil Tigers.

In the final months of fighting in 2009, according to the United Nations, up to 40,000 civilians caught in the north and east were killed when government forces moved against the insurgents.

Read more:>>>

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Govt. adopts two-pronged strategy on international relations Boosting relations with China, normalizing links with US military

October 15, 2011, 6:42 pm 

by Shamindra Ferdinando

In the wake of ongoing international attempts to isolate Sri Lanka over accountability issues, President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government is boosting its relations with China, while normalizing relations with the US military.

US joined UK in declining an invitation for a Defence Ministry seminar in Colombo to share Sri Lanka’s experience in defeating LTTE terrorism in the wake of war crimes allegations targeting Sri Lanka.       Full Story>>>

WIKILEAKS – “RAJAPAKSAS ARE UNEDUCATED AND UNCULTURED RASCALS” – CBK

Colombo Telegraph

IN JOURNALISM TRUTH IS A PROCESS

CBK - Fonseka came from a Buddhist extremist background,

 he seemed more honest than Rajapaksa

“President Kumaratunga found the Rajapaksa family involvement in politics very distasteful and called them ‘uneducated and uncultured rascals.’ She worried that the political climate since her term had become “vindictive and threatening” and that Rajapaksa had ‘muddied the thinking’ of masses.” The US ambassador wrote to Washington.

The Colombo Telegraph found the leaked cable from the WikiLeak database. The cable classified as “CONFIDENTIAL” and recount details of a meeting ambassador Patricia A. Butenis has had with former President Chandrika Kumaratunga on 14^th December 2009.

The remarks by Washington’s ambassador to Sri Lanka, are revealed by the Wikileaks leaked cable. The Colombo Telegraph found the cable classified as “CONFIDENTIAL” by ambassador Butenis.

The cable said “Former President discussed President Rajapaksa’s abuse of power and said that under his leadership, the economy, the political climate, health care, education and international relations had spiraled down reaching a new low in the country’s history. Kumaratunga remarked that governance had broken down and corruption was appallingly bad. She noted that while she was responsible for nominating President Rajapaksa for the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, he had a detrimental impact on the party.”

In response to Ambassador’s query on elections and General Fonseka’s candidacy, Kumaratunga said, while she was surprised by Fonseka’s entry in to politics, if ‘free and fair’ elections were held today, Fonseka would win. “While Fonseka came from a Buddhist extremist background, he seemed more honest than Rajapaksa and might not go back on his promises.” Butenis wrote.

“Kumaratunga acknowledged the mood and the thinking in the country was changing. People were hopeful of changing and were interested in moving ahead. Although Kumaratunga was no longer directly involved in politics, she remarked that President Rajapkasa feared her influence and had restricted her movements.” the ambassador further wrote to Washington. Read the below US diplomatic cable for full details.

TNA to brief Clinton on talks with Govt.

 SUNDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2011

By Chris Kamalendran

A four-member Tamil National Alliance (TNA) delegation led by parliamentary group leader R. Sampanthan will leave for Washington on October 25 following an invitation from the US government. The visit comes at a time when the talks between the government and the TNA remain stalled. TNA parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran, a member of the TNA delegation to Washington, said they would meet US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Assistant Secretary of State Robert O Blake, among others and brief them on the status of the TNA’s talks with the government. He pointed out that this was the first time that the US government had invited a Tamil political delegation from Sri Lanka for talks. The TNA delegation, which also includes Mavai Senathirajah and M. Sumanthiran, will visit Canada and Britain before they return to Sri Lanka. Commenting on the dialogue with the government, Mr. Premachandran said the talks were to be resumed on October 3 but were postponed because the ministers were busy doing election work. The MP said the TNA had asked the government to set aside three days for talks but the party had not received a response yet. “We are disappointed that the talks are getting delayed,” Mr. Premachandran said. However, Sajin Vass Gunawardena, a member of the government delegation, said the talks were delayed because several of the government and TNA members had gone out of Sri Lanka – a claim disputed by Mr. Premachandran. Mr. Gunawardena said a new date would be fixed for talks as soon as the TNA delegation returned from the US. Meanwhile, President Mahinda Rajapaksa earlier this week said the government would go ahead with the proposed Parliamentary Select Committee to find a solution to the national question.

Criminal Governance » Impunity lies at the heart of the Kolonnawa killings “A…

Sunday, October 16, 2011

• Impunity lies at the heart of the Kolonnawa killings

“A foul, dishonourable crew….” Giaccomo Leopardi (To Angelo Mai III)

By Tisaranee Gunasekara

Impunity lies at the heart of the Kolonnawa killings “A foul, dishonourable crew….” Giaccomo Leopardi (To Angelo Mai III) By Tisaranee Gunasekara In the Rajapaksa Security State, insecurity is the common condition of the rest of us… Impunity makes jungles out of civilised societies, where the big and the powerful prey on those smaller andRead More »

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Government Rejects New Summons On MR

 Sunday, October 16, 2011

• MR can be served summons via the local media – US Judge

By Indika Sri Aravinda

The government will not respond to the summons issued on President Mahinda Rajapaksa by a US court even if it is published in the local media, the Attorney General’s department said.
Deputy Solicitor General Jayantha Jayasuriya told The Sunday Leader that the US District Court has not issued valid reasons as to why the President should respond to the summons.
It was reported on Friday that in a precedent setting order issued by the District Court of the District of Columbia on Thursday on the case against President Rajapaksa filed by three Tamil plaintiffs, Judge Kotelly authorized service by “posting the full summons and complaint on the main page of the TamilNet website,” and by publication in two Sri Lankan newspapers.

Read More »

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When The Elected Government Is Not What Rules The Citizen

Sunday, October 16, 2011

It  is  a  shock that the incident that took place last Saturday happened under President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government. We have to enforce the law against the ‘barbarians’ who assassinated former parliamentarian and Presidential Advisor Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra and social justice needs to be put in place as a tribute to him.”

General Secretary of the SLFP and Minister Maithripala Sirisena, 
in his funeral oration

Read More »

UNP calls for Fox fund probe

 15 October, 2011
By Saroj Pathirana
BBC Sinhala service

	Mr Werritty (R) has taken part in the discussions between Dr Fox (L) and President Rajapaksa in London

The main opposition in Sri Lanka has called for an investigation into the activities of Sri Lanka Development Trust (SLDT) set up by former British Defence Secretary, Liam Fox.

The United National Party (UNP) said it regretted the resignation of Dr Fox.

But it is now important that the government investigate the role of Sri Lanka officials in setting up the Trust with Dr Fox, says Dr Harsha de Silva, UNP’s secretary on economic affairs.

“There must be an immediate investigation,” he told BBC Sinhala service, Sandeshaya.

He called on the investigation to focus on, in particular, the alleged role of Ajith Nivard Cabraal, the governor of Sri Lanka Central Bank.

NGO activities

The MP recalls that Sri Lanka government, which is highly critical of activities of the NGOs, launched an investigation into the funding of Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL).

If it has spent £7000, how much money is in the Trust? Where is that money? Who is aware of it?   Dr Harsha de Silva, MP

“Mr Cabraal and others investigated TISL and made serious allegations against it,” Mr De Silva said.

Dr Fox on Monday told the House of Commons that he had worked with people in business, banking and politics in Sri Lanka since 2009 to set up the "Sri Lankan Development Trust" to help with reconstruction of the country after its civil war.

The defence secretary has been under pressure after it emerged that his friend, the lobbyist Adam Werritty, was present on 18 overseas trips including Sri Lanka.

"The aim was to use a proportion of profits made to fund development projects in Tamil communities. Neither myself, Mr Werritty nor others sought to receive any share of the profits for assisting the trust," Dr Fox said.

Central Bank governor

UNP’s international affairs secretary Ravi Karunanayake told BBC Sandeshaya that he met Mr Werritty “at least five times with Dr Fox,” in his interactions with the British politician.

	UNP says the government should reveal Mr Cabraal's involvement with SLDT

"I was under the impression that Mr Werritty was Dr Fox's political assistant," said Mr Karunanayake, MP.

The Financial Times quoting Lord Bell says the Trust consists of two funds, the "Sri Lanka Infrastructure Development Fund" and the "Sri Lanka Charitable Fund".

Lord Bell, Head of the Bell Pottinger Public Relations Company which represented the Sri Lankan government until last December told the Financial Times that neither fund is up and running.

“The issue is whether there is any under the surface activity in this case,” says Dr Harsha de Silva, MP.

“If it has spent £7000, how much money is in the Trust? Where is that money? Who is aware of it?”

It is imperative a government that accuses many NGOs including National Peace Council and Centre for Policy Alternatives of wrongdoings investigate its own official’s role in a yet undisclosed activities of the SLDT, he added.

“According to British media, Lord Bell of Bell Pottinger has said that it was Nivard Cabraal who discussed with Dr Fox and Adam Werritty to set up the Trust,” he said.

“But the issue here is nobody knows what this NGO is?” said Dr Silva adding that it seems that the Trust is not registered anywhere according to British media.

Mr Cabraal could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.

Here is the evidence confirming Gota’s implication in Bharatha Lakshman murder: Gota shall resign forthwith

-Why is Duminda who shot Baratha not placed under arrest ?
(Lanka-e-News -15.Oct.2011, 8.30P.M.) Lanka e news is in receipt of clear, cogent and copious evidence testifying to defense secretary Gotabaya’s involvement in the murder of Bharatha Lakshman who was shot and killed by Duminda Silva recently.

Hereunder are the details …

Just two days prior to the assassination of Late Bharatha Lakshman , on the 5th of October when he addressed the last rally , he said, “ My heart is deeply grieving. If there is no CID , at least someone here , please tape this and ,go and show it. Gotabaya is a respectable person in this country. But this ‘yakka’ and the organizers took him throughout today and went for the kudu (heroin) dealers’ rallies. This is what is hurting me.. They roamed Ambatale where extortion money was demanded from Mudalalis over the phone. They intimidated and threatened people to part with their monies. They went to Kolonnawa ‘ Singapore’ area and Meetotamulla . We cannot allow this type of activities to rage in the areas which we have nursed and developed. This is not a question confined to electorate. We must begin our campaign after the 9th to rescue the people from these scoundrels. If we do not engage in this campaign , I cannot predict in which disastrous direction the country will be headed. I do not wish to elaborate further on this. I hope what I say will also reach the ears of the country’s leaders.”


It is impossible for anyone to claim that the speech of Bharatha full of warnings and portents in the interests of the people and the country did not reach the ears of the Rajapakses. On the 8th he was murdered before he could start his campaign on the 9th.. This cold blooded murder was committed by Duminda Silva , according to an eye witness who gave evidence.

Here are the reasons which allegedly prompted Gotabaya Rajapakse to permit Duminda to commit this ghastly ruthless murder :

8th was the election day. The first complaint to the special complaints center of the Elections Commissioner office was received at about 10.30 a .m. that Duminda Silva with about 100 others are obstructing the voters in the district of Sedawatte , Weheragoda Siddhartha Vidyalaya from casting their votes. Unlike previously , the police had new methods to immediately take counter action after determining the complaint received. Accordingly , these complaints under COL 9 received at 10.30 a.m. were reported to the DIGs of the Central , Southern and northern ranges by the Elections Commissioner. But these actions had no effect . Copies of the COL 9 complaint is published herein.

The second complaint received by the office too were against Duminda Silva. In that complaint it was clearly requested to provide special extra police security. The Elections commissioner had forwarded this special request to the DIGs concerned at about 12.40 p. m. The second complaint under COL 14 is also published herein.

Bharatha Lakshman was murdered by Duminda Silva at about 3.30 p.m. Hence , if the police really wished to take preventive action they had three long hours . Yet the police took no action at all. Similar polling incidents were reported in Kurunegala and Matale too . But there , the police chiefs took immediate action following the Elections Commissioner’s office complaints. Hence , is it wrong if one assumes that the police chiefs in Colombo took no action on the complaints following the defense Secretary Gota’s instructions not to obstruct Duminda ?. For ,after all Gota is the all powerful defense Secretary fully responsible for the citizen’s security. If all the three Police chiefs neglected their onerous duties not because of Gota’s instructions , then what caused them to act this way ignoring the dire situation whereby a senior politician was made to lose his life eventually ?
The most significant and perturbing fact in this episode is the police not detailing any security to this place where the voters were obstructed ,and the police accepting this failure. The police had confirmed this by the letter dated 12th sent to the daily ‘Lakbima’ newspaper of the 10th denying the story published therein that , when Bharatha was shot at and fell , the police officers stood idle and watched without helping to take the victim to the Hospital. The police in its letter had contradicted the Lakbima story on the ground that no police officer was on duty at the scene of the incident or even in its proximity. In other words , the police had been fully aware well ahead from morning 10.30 a.m. of Duminda Silva’s murderous and intimidatory actions , and therefore avoided deployment of security in those areas. This truth has been testified to by the police itself in so many words. The Lakbima article is appended .
Gota’s implication in this gruesome murder is borne testimony to by the contents of the article in the Lakbima newspaper of the 10th. Gota who summoned Solangaarachchi after the killing of Bharatha , had made it very clear to him that it was Duminda who assisted him immensely when demolishing the houses and shops in Colombo. When I ask Duminda to fetch a crowd of 500 , he brings along 5000 to accomplish my (destructive) tasks. So , is anything wrong in my visiting him, (the murderer) in Hospital ?, Gota has asked Solangaarachi .

Then Gota , a most responsible Govt. servant has when demolishing houses and shops , used goons and murderers and the political powers , instead of following the legal processes. He has himself admitted this. It is Gota’s duty to reveal all other illegal activities for which he used Duminda. Moreover , Gota’s attitude is , when he goes to Hospital to protect a murderer , he deems he is doing an act of great merit like taking a King coconut to a patient in Hospital having fever. Obviously when such an individual who cannot identify merits from demerits is the chief of the national security, ruthlessness and murders have to be the order of the day .

Based on the evidence presented to the Courts , Duminda Silva who first shot Bharatha in broad daylight and in public should be placed under arrest immediately. Why is this prime suspect not arrested even after an eye witness has given evidence testifying to it? What is the secret behind this dereliction of duty and monumental failure in law enforcement ? If Duminda is taking treatment in Hospital he ought to be treated as an accused under arrest. Are we wrong in our assumption that Gota is also having a hand in this Bharatha’s murder going by the inordinate efforts he is making to shield and save Duminda in this murder in the face of such glaring evidence and proofs that Duminda killed Bharatha?

In the circumstances , not only Duminda , even Gota should be taken in as an accomplice in this murder , and the laws should be duly implemented against all those suspects. In the least , Gota must resign on his own if he has any sense of shame like in other countries ,for he is an affront to that lofty position he is holding after all these disclosures and evidence mounted against him . Otherwise , he must be removed from his position with immediate effect until the case is over, for he can be a threat to a fair and free investigation when he continues in the post which controls the defense affairs in the country .

It is unsurprising if people are compelled to take the law into their hands when the President and the defense Secretary cannot emerge clean in respect of these incriminations.