By Leesha McKenny, Dylan Welch –
'I would have been killed'' ... Premakumar Gunaratnam with his wife and children in a family photo taken last year. Photo: Kate Geraghty
THE Australian man abducted in Sri Lanka over the weekend has contradicted the claims of the Colombo government, claiming it abducted him, and were it not for Canberra’s intervention he would have faced certain death.
Premakumar Gunaratnam, a 42-year-old Sri Lankan left wing politician who moved to Australia in 2006, held a press conference at his house in Sydney’s north this afternoon, after leaving Sri Lanka yesterday.
He said that he was handcuffed, blindfolded and physically and sexually tortured during his three day detention.
“I have no doubt that if I didn’t have the Australian government’s support I would have been killed just like my brother and hundreds of other political activists and journalists have been killed,” Mr Gunaratnam said at his Dural home at about 2.30pm.
His claims will put pressure on the Sri Lankan government, who at first said they were unaware of Mr Gunaratnam’s presence in their country, and once he was located stated categorically that they had played no role in his disappearance.
“The Sri Lankan authorities never arrested that person,” the Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Canberra, Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe, told Fairfax media on Tuesday.
Disputing that contention, Mr Gunaratnam said: “I can confirm I was abducted by the Sri Lankan government forces, blindfolded and tortured. This includes, I am embarrassed to say, sexual torture.”
He called on the international community to acknowledge what he says are ongoing human rights violations in Sri Lanka being commited by the govenrment of Mahinda Rajapaksa.
“If everyone ignores the human rights violations in Sri Lanka then the Rajapaksa regime will continue the dictatorial regime abducting and killing people who speak out,” he said.
“The free-thinking world should take a stance against (these) gross human rights violations.”
Comment is being sought from the Sri Lankan government.
Donald J Gnanakone / April 11, 2012
If what Noel Mudalige is saying is true, then he can file action against the head of the MOD who is a US citizen,and the GOSL’s representative in Australia Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe.(He is a perfect candidate to be the plaintiff and author of a book on torture in Sri Lanka). Torture and sexual torture are very serious crimes in the United States, and court action can be taken immediately in United States against Gotabaya Rajapakse.. The US Government and DOJ/DHS would be also forced to open investigations on all crimes including war crimes the US citizens have committed in Sri Lanka. – There is no point KG aka NM playing Sri Lankan -Sinhala JVP politics. Now this is the big American and Australian league, and the DFAT and Australian government will support his legal action.No Tamil organization is still to file action against any of the 4 US citizens in Sri Lanka in US courts. KG should ensure that he uses a good and experienced trial attorney and not a political lobbyist who happens to be an attorney. -Tamils For Justice.
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Max Silva / April 11, 2012
Donald,
You expect the Americans and the Australians to do your dirty work?You guys along with KG are criminals at large.The defeated Tamil Tiger terrorists turned human rights activists.Donald you along with your terror colleagues Rudra Kumaran,Surendran,Nadiyawen etc watch your step. Oh!by the way don’t bother looking for lawyers,you won’t need any.Bloody crooked terrorists.We will have no sympathy for brown skinned Americans,Europeans,Australians.
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GG Ponnambalam / April 11, 2012
Go to hell! He will have to produce proof and it has to be done in three days in any case of sexual nature. Only the US government tortures people. Don’t talk rubbish.
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Anti-B.S / April 12, 2012
G.G. Ponnambalam:
Do you usually live under the same rock as your soul-brother, Max Silva? Or are you the same person?
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suz / April 11, 2012
happy looking family feeded by terror funds,it is better eat shit boweling to hand itself.
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Max Silva / April 11, 2012
The father of the family, a well known Bomb manufacturer.Even the late”Velu’s”family looked a very happy one until the Nandikadal escapade.
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suz / April 11, 2012
dear donald we srilankan proud of terrorist fever obtain in any where in the world because you cant do it again here MAX is watching you .
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GG Ponnambalam / April 12, 2012
Guantanamo? Do you ever read the papers? Waterboarding? Civil Rights? You are a disgrace to the Tamils who want to live in peace. Evidently you have money because you are in charge of charities and get donations from your terrorists friends.
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Kos Colombas / April 11, 2012
I am not sure why SL goverment has let this criminal leave the country. It is well know n fact that there are a lot of allegations under this fellows belt during the eerie civil unrest period of 1988-89. These JVP goons (DPJV-lead by this so-called Mahattaya) killed so many good and talented people in our motherland. SL goverment should have tested killer in SL courts.
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gamini / April 12, 2012
Kos Colombas how can MR and them investigate this Gunaratnam’s crimes during the ’88/’89 period eliminating so many talented people by the JVP under the auspicies of Gunaratnam, because MR and crowd also ably assisted Gunaratnam and the JVP to commit crime to topple the UNP in power. So what are you talking.
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Observer / April 12, 2012
Yes, MR was a prominent member of the JVP. If Gunaratnam goes to court for JVP crimes, then MR must also.
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Max Silva / April 12, 2012
Gamini Observer twins,
Don’t you want MR to be tried at the Hague for getting rid of that wonderful human being “Velu”?As for Bomba Gunda,i am sure that relatives of his victims would do the needful.
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Max Silva / April 11, 2012
Srilanka does not comment on allegations made by terrorists,criminals and fraudsters.Instead i will comment on it.One should take with a pinch of salt what this crook says.This is a damned liar and a fraudster.He changes names at the drop of a hat for his convenience.This crook had entered Srilanka six times since 2006 illegally.This is no politician.But a terrorist,criminal,crook and a fraudster.
This so called Australian man had had his preliminary education free of charge at Kegalle.Then again he had the privilege of completing his higher studies at Peradeniya university,once again free of charge.A damned freeloader.Then in 1989 he along with his terrorist brother went on a killing spree by being committee members of the notorious DJV military wing.Finally the security forces managed to kill the mad dog of a brother.This Australian man raided the Pallekalai army camp and got away with cache of weapons.May be the bugger used these weapons to hand out human rights to poor victims.
He was also the leader of the military wing of the DJV in Trincomalee.He was also an expert in bomb manufacturing.He was best known as “Bomba Gunda”.Need to say more?
His allegations of sexual abuse is the biggest joke of the century.One would rather go to the Colombo Zoo and have it with a Gorilla.My time is too precious to comment on allegations made by a criminal,a terrorist,a crook and a fraudster.
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Jim Hardy / April 11, 2012
I Say Mad Max,
Stop your bloody double standards, you dont mind Karuna ,Pillayan,Kp, going scot free your murderous regime keeps on abducting killing terrorizing innocent people, How many crooks Fraudsters & Narcotics dealers hiding under this regime.
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Max Silva / April 11, 2012
We do it our way.Not your way.Go cry you Mama boy,say that your goddamn Human rights are being violated.Go go and tell Mama Pillaiyan,you cry baby.Bloody fraudsters screaming of human rights at the drop of a hat.$$$$$ Kakko!
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Max Silva / April 12, 2012
Jim Pappa,
You call the likes of Bomba Gunda innocent persons?In that case i might be the butler to the all mighty god!
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GG Ponnambalam / April 12, 2012
Double standards is what we are talking about. Your frinds murdered children and took young children away from their parents to fight in a war that you knew would end in the way it did. You are to blame for the loss of all our Tamil lives.
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namal / April 11, 2012
Are you paid in rupees ?
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Anti-B.S / April 12, 2012
Max Silva
Perhaps you would like to tell us what the Sri Lanka government of the UPFA/SLFP/whatever was doing from 1993 to 2006 while this ex-JVP terrorist was living very freely in Sri Lanka. Did the fact that your patrons SUPPORT murderous criminals such as KP, Pillayan, Karuna (remember the 600+ policemen he murdered in cold blood?)have anything to do with this man living very freely in SL and then migrating to Australia?
You people consort so freely with the worst criminal elements in the world that you can’t tell the difference any longer, can you?
And talking about dual identities, why don’t you refresh our memories with who gave Colonel Karuna a forged passport which landed him in jail in Britain?
You certainly are a genius, Maxie, though I am sure you are better described as that southern part of the anatomy of a human going north!
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Max Silva / April 12, 2012
Borukaraya,
He escaped from jail and left the country in 1990.Appeared in 2006 in Australia.Don’t you all have anybody else other than serial killers to glorify?Damned born again murderers.Now that Bomba Gunda’s escapade is fading away who else you got?Hope that you are not going to say that Gota has violated the HRs of Jack the Ripper who is meditating somewhere in the Australian bush.Bloody lying defeated tiger terrorists the inventors of the digital lying machine!
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Janajaya / April 11, 2012
Don’t be so haste to take him as a politician. How can he be. Most say he was in the JVP. Even today JVP keeps silence. If he had engaged in good politics, they (JVP) will say yes. That is the reason them to keep silence.
As some say he didn’t complete his degree. His brother was a real JVPear principally. What this fellow did was taking his powers and playing a ‘thugger’s role’ in the university.
JVP kept him dark, because they knew who he was. they didn’t want him to be in public appearances. So called JVP rebels who had dreams to become luxurious politicians like W Weerawansha persuaded him to come out. At the end, the new party had an enexpected (But they have planned it) publicity. It is time to be realistic…
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Rubert Vanderkoon / April 11, 2012
Max, You are spot on, this guy was a misguided JVP gangster those days, who screened out poor people’s property and left the country when he was just about to be beheaded by the then UNP government. If his visa expired in September, what the heck was he doing in the country without getting his visa extended? Also, who the friggit he thinks he is to launch a new political party in a country he has no right to live in? He is a mad idiot and the abductors must be a group of psycology students who may have wanted to study this psycopath and examined his brain by inserting a fist on his backside and probably hence the sexual torture claim. Anyway, let’s put this mad guy aside for a minute. The whole episode was made possible in the country by the prevailing climate. Some journalists were beaten up and some guys dissappeared in the recent past. Unless the government takes control of the situation, allegations of this nature will not stop. If the government/the defence estabishment is not capable of revealing the real culprits, the finger will always point at them which is not in anyway good for them.
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Jim Hardy / April 11, 2012
Stupid Mad Max
Just see how many people are against your biased comments, haven’t you got any shame. how many times you got humiliated damn shame on a wesleyite to defend rogues & liars.
This regime twists facts through the entire media, sorry to understand that you have become a sucker, or else you too belong to the rogue gallery.
The only trump card this regime is holding, is borrowed Singhala Bddhist chauvanism From Weerwansa & Champika which will collapse very soon.
Do you know a news went unnoticed in the media, when the Frontline Socialist party comrades held a satyagraha sleeping on the main road blocking morning traffic until Police re erect their red flags which were removed by Police in the vicinity of the Stadium, the (Indoor&Outdoor) The police got embarrassed did not know what to do, finally they gave in meekly like rats erected back all the red flags. that was the Socialist boys first success on their 1st convention,this undemocratic thug regime has no shame.
2nd success was a large turn out for the inaugural covention, 3rd was the release from their abductors, didn’t this regime disturb a hornets nest.
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Max Silva / April 11, 2012
Jim Pappa,
What nonsense are you uttering?You asked me how many persons are against my biased views?Let me count, starting with my little finger.Tiger LT Observer,Tiger MJR Gamini,Tiger Gen Donald,Tiger Pvt Hora Silva,Ole Doc Brian, and of course you Tiger Pvt Jim.Oh!there was this Tiger guy Son of Dalai,but the bugger has vanished into thin air(Don’t blame me on white vanning him).So around half a dozen defeated Tigers are against me.So what?Damn clowns.
Whats this Frontline socialist party you are talking about?Never heard of it.Is it some sort of get together party involving homos?Who was this joker sleeping on the road?No doubt a drunk.You talk of a huge turnout.You stupid it was WE,who filled up.There’s no doubt that this abduction fiasco was staged managed to bring the crowds.Anyway i have this weird feeling that this is not Kumar Mahathaya but the comedian Sargent Nallathamby!
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suz / April 11, 2012
we thanks CT for free terror information and specially thanks to MAX SILVA.
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rajguna / April 11, 2012
I too agree with what Kumar says about torture… It’s this current political system (implemented by power crazy JR)that had given a massive power to do anything.. People like Meryn Silva, Duminda Silva are fed by regime leader (as well as leader of torturing, GR) n they do what ever they feel… So this system should be forced to change to system what we had before 77..
In this case, if aussi gov. didnt intervane, he would have already ended up as a missing person like what happened to most journalists..
Also below are some questions i would like to ask those who try to protect the corrupted regime in this incident.
1. If Kumar had violated immigration/emigration, why wasnt he taken in to custody and taken leagal action against him..?
2. why was he sent out of the country immidietly without conducting a proper investigation
………………………….
Finally what i hav to say is GR will be in trouble very soon.. actually he, meryn and winal are the people who tarnish Sri Lanka’s Image internationally.. (This was done by Nanda Mathews during JR’s period n he was sacked by then regime to protect SL)
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Max Silva / April 11, 2012
Rajguna,
Were you one of the members of the DJV terror outfit?
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rajguna / April 15, 2012
Max Silva (Mr.Portuguese)u and ur funny comments… ur worse than a kid… no commonsense at all (GR must hav taken it off from u…, bcoz people who support MR & GonR merely have any common sense, only knows how to imprison ,kidnap,torture,kill any one who goes against them n then justify those stuff.. on the other hand protect murderers like Duminda Silva, Karuna n Pilleyan..)
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Observer / April 11, 2012
It looks like there was a lot of behind-the-scenes pressure from Australia to release this guy. Gothabaya must have been sweating worse than a woman in labour. Imagine, Gothabaya had identified Gunaratnam through the intelligence services. The plan to abduct and kill the latter, with a maximum of concealment, was all laid out. And when the operation is half-way through, Gothabaya gets a supremely urgent call from the Australian HC.
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Max Silva / April 11, 2012
Observer,
Since when have you become an arms chair investigator?Sherlock Holmes will blush.Bloody clowns!
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Observer / April 11, 2012
Gothabaya is in charge of Colombo security. How many LTTE attacks were prevented with all the checkpoints, but they haven’t been able to stop a single white van carrying men with T56’s and blindfolded passengers?
Anyway, It’s pretty obvious who is behind this.
Man gets kidnapped.
High commissioner arranges personal meeting with Gothabaya.
Man gets released in minimum amount of time.
Keep singing for your paripu, Max Silva, but Gothabaya has just been exposed!
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Chandi Senanayake / April 11, 2012
Who are you Max? You must be someone who slept with those guys…?
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suz / April 11, 2012
dear observer send any citizen to srilanka to organize terror crime max in alert.
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Chandrani / April 11, 2012
Gunaratnam who cannot seem to get about under his own name, for reasons best known to him, can only come up with allegations of sodomy from the safety of Australia when caught between a rock and a hard place. How juvenile and effeminate.
What does he have to say about all the murders of those young people / artists / intellectuals he personally plotted back in the 80’s. Didn’t they have rights?
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Jim Hardy / April 11, 2012
Mad Max
Arrogant stupid thug who cannot be reasoned like other govt thugs, just count your days from today onwards.
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Max Silva / April 11, 2012
Jim Pappa,
Take it easy without blowing a fuse.As for counting i will do it on a decade basis.By the way when is your latest savior Kumar Mahathaya aka Bomba Gunda taking office as the president of Srilanka?
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Rod / April 11, 2012
Max licker, give it whole sale, what next ?
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suz / April 11, 2012
max never sick of death watch one more time face of PRABA at nandicadl and look your moms face.
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Max Silva / April 12, 2012
As the “CAT IS OUT OF THE BAG” in the abduction fiasco of Kumara Mahathaya aka Bomba Gunda,there’s no use wasting our time anymore.Instead of posting quality and argumentative replies,what i find is just filth.The critics of the Srilankan government are dumbfounded. Their Australian man happens to be a murderer,bank robber,bomb expert,crook,fraudster and a jail breaker.Not worth wasting time on Bomba Gunda.
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Sagara / April 12, 2012
People do not waste your time to reply Max (Gon) Silva’s comments. This guy cannot be rehabilitated. It is unfortunate that CT has published his remarks on sexual harassment allegations. Some people are on halfway through of human evolution!
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Max Silva / April 12, 2012
Sagara,
If you want to have your way,then you’d better come up with your own stupid blog.Damned time wasters!
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Sagara / April 12, 2012
God bless you!
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Kos Colombas / April 12, 2012
Guys
How many innocent lives burned on tyres and went along rivers because of these useless JVP goons like this so-called Mahattaya in late 80s?
These mad dogs pulled the country back by 3 years during 88-89 period.
Now him and his family having comfy life in Ausseland.
His nick name “Mahattaya” is an insult to a real gentelman.
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gamini / April 12, 2012
The reason why Gota did not want to keep Gunaratnam and investigate the crimes of 88/89 because the connections of Gunaratnam, MR, Wambotta would have leaked out in killing so many at that time to topple the UNP govt.
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rajguna / April 15, 2012
max silva,
if u a true patriot, get rid of your Portuguese surname before talking bullshit..
frankly speaking [sorry to say this anyway]those days wen portuguese were ruling the country, most of the sinhala betrayers[great grand parents of max silva] took up their surnames in order to get benifits from those rascals
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Max Silva / April 15, 2012
The article is not about my name or the Portuguese.It’s about Bomba Gunda.Damn time waster!
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rajguna / April 15, 2012
well said sagara about dat fellow..
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