Yesterday the former President Chandrika Kumaratunga held talks with Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe on the ongoing attacks on religious minorities. Kumaratunga met Wickremesignhe along with a few other members of the UNP such as Ravi Karunanayake and Ruwan Wijewardene.

In 2002 then Commerce Minister Ravi Karunanayake accused President Kumaratunga of bringing the handbag with the hidden video camera to cabinet for the purpose of recording cabinet proceedings in violation of the law.

We ask you to write humorous alternatives captions !

In 2002 the murdered Sunday Leader editor Lasantha Wickrematunge wrote;

007 handbag with CBK

By Suranimala

Incontrovertible proof that President Chandrika Kumaratunga is in possession of the ladies handbag with the hidden VH09 video colour camera has been discovered by the Directorate of Internal Intelligence (DII).

An investigation has also revealed that the handbag with the hidden video camera was purchased just nine days after the election of the United National Front government by the president’s security advisor T.V. Sumanasekera and handed over to Kumaratunga a week later on December 20, 2001.

Documentary proof of the handbag with the hidden video colour camera having been handed over to President Kumaratunga was also unearthed.

Records in the Directorate of Internal Intelligence show that a quotation for the equipment was called from Roshan Motha of General Engineers & Suppliers on November 16 by Sumanasekera and accepted the same day. The purchase was made on December 14, 2001.

Investigations reveal that a note was made by Police Sergeant 3498 Chandrasiri in the file at the Technical Branch at the Directorate of Internal Intelligence stating that the camera and a handbag had been handed over by T. V. Sumanasekera to the president personally on December 20 at President’s House.

Investigations further reveal an endorsement was made by the OIC/Technical Aids, DII, Inspector O.Y.R. Perera that one radio jamming equipment, a brief case, video camera and a ladies camera bag were handed over to the President’s Security Division on October 28, 2001, December 14, 2001 and December 20, 2001 respectively and that the ladies handbag is not inventorised.

The note further adds that this camera was directly purchased by Sumanasekera and that he handed over the same to the president on December 20, 2001, thereby corroborating the version of Sergeant Chandrasiri.

It is further revealed that the local agent, Motha was taken into custody by the CID somewhere in 1997/1998 and detained for three days when Sumanasekera was the DIG, CID in connection with an inquiry into a scandal on the procurement of body armour and related items to the army.

Commerce Minister Ravi Karunanayake the previous week accused President Kumaratunga of bringing the handbag with the hidden video camera to cabinet for the purpose of recording cabinet proceedings in violation of the law.

The president did not show her handbag to prove the minister wrong but accused him 48 hours later of alleging that she brought a bomb to cabinet to assassinate the prime minister, an allegation which has been rejected by the cabinet of ministers as a falsehood.