19 March, 2024

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Dog Will Not Bite Dog In Sri Lanka

By Suranimala Umagiliya

On the 8th of January 2009, Lasantha Wickrematunge, the intrepid Editor of The Sunday Leader was murdered in a well planned attack within a high security zone. Before the ink could dry on the reams of newsprint written on that murder, a copycat style attack was carried out on Upali Tennekoon, the Editor of Rivira newspaper. It was on the 23rd of January 2009 the attackers waylaid his vehicle when Upali Tennekoon and his wife were driving towards Colombo. Tennekoon left Sri Lanka for awhile only to return to an identification parade where he identified Army Intelligence officer Udulagama as one of the assailants. Udulagama was also identified by Dias for abducting him. Dias was Lasantha Wickrematunge’s driver.

Lasantha

Upali Tennekoon was the Editor of Rivira newspaper which at the time was owned by two Rajapaksa acolytes, namely Nilanka Rajapaksha and Prasanna Wickramasuriya. Wickramasuriya is the brother of former Sri Lankan Ambassador to the US Jaliya Wickremasuriya and a cousin of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.It was widely believed that Upali Tennekoon was attacked to misdirect people that even Rajapaksa friendly newspaper editors were being attacked. The intent was not to kill the Rivira editor. The murder of Lasantha, attack on Upali and the abduction of Keith Noyahr ( 2008 ), were handed over to Gotabaya’s bunny DIG Chandra Wakista of the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID). Intent was clear. Show it as an LTTE job.

The Criminal Investigations Department took over the investigations into these crimes after the defeat of Mahiinda Rajapaksa and the real story unfurled backed by credible evidence. A rogue unit at the Tripoli Market run by Gotabaya Rajapaksa together with former Army Intel Chief Kapila Hendawitharne, Gen Amal Karunasekera and Major Bulathwatte were suspected to be the prime movers of these crimes. Evidence in Keith Noyahr’s case reported to Court by CID indicate this fact. The Tripoli Unit is widely known to have carried out Lasantha murder, Keith Noyahr abduction and torture as well as Upali Tennekoon assault.

Initially eight suspects from the very Tripoli Camp were arrested, finger printed and remanded. They were later enlarged on bail. Finger prints found on the late Editor Lasantha Wickrematunge’s car on the day of the murder, prints on the vehicle of Upali Tennekoon were sent to the expert Examiner of finger print division of the Police. Though no matches were found to the prints on Lasantha’s vehicle a print on Upali Tennekoon’s vehicle found a match with that of Corporal Lalith Rajapaksa an Army Intelligence Officer who at the time of these crimes was assigned to the Tripoli Unit. Corporal Lalith Rajapaksa was posted to the Sri Lanka Consulate in Frankfurt, Germany on the instructions of Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2013 and returned only in 2017. As expected he has denied knowledge as to how his print came to be on Upali Tennekoon’s vehical. Finger prints are unique and no two persons prints match.

Upali

Colombo Telegraph reliably understands from a retired CID Official, that Corporal Rajapaksa was retained in Frankfurt despite the Rajapaksa Government being defeated in 2015, at the insistence of now resigned Chief of Intelligence former DIG CID Sisira Mendis.

Colombo Telegraph also learns from the same source that the finger prints were taken at the time of initial arrest but the match with Corporal Lalith Rajapaksa has been reported to Court after a long lapse of time. The Attorney General Dappula Livera’s advise to the CID to arrest Corporal Rajapaksa though late was welcome news.

The Yahapalanaya Government has been in office for well nigh four years. The evidence into these crimes have been reported to Court and therefore has been on public record. Newspapers and electronic media have time and again reported from these records. There has been a perceived delay by the Yahapalanaya Government to bring the criminals involved in these cases to court. In Sri lanka, dog does not bite dog.

Presidential elections are to be held shortly and it is a well known fact that President Sirisena would like to front up with the Rajapaksa’s for a second term. Given his proclivities in recent times the Rajapaksa camp seemingly, unlike Barkis, is not willing. There has been a flurry of activity recently, in bringing forward the cases that have been pending against the Rajapaksa cabal.

Is this an act of twisting the arm? Or will dog bite dog finally?

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Latest comments

  • 19
    4

    Sri Lanka has a problem of child abuse. Small monks at temples are being sexually being sodamized by the chief priest and all adult monks. 900-1500 cases a year, police doesn’t take the statements from the kids. The minister champaka says its not the government business or police business to look at the temple problems. When sodamy is done by adults on kids, its phedophila. Look at the law first. first digree abuse. these kids have to be protected by the human rights commission. Minister Ranjan Ramanayaka spoke about it and said specifically the police does not take statements from kids. There are 1000 of cases against these monks not recorded. Serous human rights violations.
    There was a commentator who stated specifically in these comment column that he comes to Sri Lanka to have sex with kids in the southern belt.(I think he goes by the name Jay Chambers).Pedophiliea is a very serious crime against humanity.
    The monks who are protectors of Buddhism are the biggest human rights abusers, having sex with poor kids in there temples. Sharia law says -cut there balls.

    • 7
      2

      Jehan
      Very true . It is the same when little girls of 12 and above are given in marriage . It is a heinous crime and all perpetrators should be dealt with by the law of the land .

    • 0
      1

      Response to Jehan.

      One of the major sins that cry out to God for vengeance is Sodomy.

  • 1
    0

    Dear JD!

    “Sri lanka a NATO member,…” Are you OK? Small tip SL is in India ocean and not in Atlantic.

  • 6
    0

    Laws relating to children should be the same for all races and religions in the country. The way Muslim child marriage is to be banned, underage (similar to proposed Muslim marriage act age of girls) all young Buddhist monks who are children should not be allowed to stay in a Temple or Monastery. If they have to learn the language at a young age, then a proper system should be developed by the Mahanayakes for those children to learn the religious teaching while staying with their parents.

  • 5
    1

    One of the dogs has been released from prison by Sirisena and that dog has satarted to bark again as usual and making numerous conflicts in our peaceful society.
    Sirisena wanted to do it because he wanted to make conflicts in our peaceful society against UNP.
    Unfortunately stupid SIRISENA can not understand and foresee anything now.
    He is in dark because he knows now he can not win again.
    Sirisena is a dog not a GOTABAYA

  • 0
    1

    It looks National candidate project can not design who is to present what happened in Mahanuwara. Did Mahanayake Theros come and sign the Protestant proclamation ? I think, Kiriella gave the political solution to the Protestants saying Buddhism is foremost predominant religion in Sri lanka. But, other religion would enjoy the same benefit.. I am pretty sure, Cardinal Ranjith will be silent. Wahhabis will hidden madrasas every where but Shiites keep their mouths shut. So, who will go against Gotabhaya rajapakse or Maithripala sirsiena has to decide it.

  • 1
    0

    One of the dogs has been released from prison by Sirisena and that dog has started to bark again as usual and making numerous conflicts in our peaceful society.
    Sirisena wanted to do it because he wanted to make conflicts in our peaceful society against UNP.
    Unfortunately stupid SIRISENA can not understand and foresee anything now.
    He is in dark because he knows now he can not win again.
    Sirisena is a dog but not a GOTABAYA

    Sirisena is a sick man who is not aware of himself

  • 0
    0

    SUMAN Machang !

    Machang is a nice way of calling a good Buddy, as far as my vocabulary recollection is concerned. We use it at a hopper or bottle party and politics too.

    NV,

    True according to accusation of MR , the Regime change was engineered by para diaspora Tamils and Para Hindians in Singapore. I never accept that Diplomats ever think of themselves as enemies , though secretly they plan to drive a knife blade or a bullet at the right moment at one another.

    You know arch rivals like Pakistan and India or US and China joined hands and gloves to decimate the LTTE. Still these rascals planned and operated the Easter attacks to take a hold with the next Presidential race , this time the Tamil Catholics, a lame duck.

    If necessary , their next target could be a more serious one you, or I cannot guess.We fought only one enemy, the LTTE , next time all the friends will take on us single or collectively for the real purpose.

  • 3
    0

    It is pity the island nation has scumpt to corrupted policies and tyrannical political system. The people, mostly literate but poor keep quiet as to the happening due to fear and religious fanatism. One wonders when will the country come out this rot to help the majority poor. The land of Buddha’s doctrine has been going in the wrong direction and no action taken by its citizen will end up barren. People of Island nation must wake up and ensure that their voice are heard, hard and clear.
    Be Sri Lankan first, not a Sinhala, Tamil, Moor or other.

  • 0
    2

    Lasantha was never relevant when he was alive. He was a just a below average journalist. He couldn’t sell no more than a thousand newspapers a week. He only became famous because his death.

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