The father of expelled UNP reformist and Southern Provincial Councillor Maithri Guneratne has been remanded in connection with a shooting at the UNP riot in Matara yesterday.
Herman Guneratne was arrested by Matara police last evening after he used a personal weapon to shoot at pro-Ranil protestors during what was supposed to be a peaceful march to oust UNP Leader. He was produced before the Matara Additional Magistrate today and remanded.
Herman Guneratne is reported to be a close associate of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
UNP Provincial Councillor Nisthantha Pushpakumara suffered a gunshot injury to the leg. Maithree Guneratne’s son was also reportedly wounded in the attack.
UNP MP and Matara district strongman Mangala Samaraweera was also detained by the police and released after questioning a short while ago.
More than 20 others have been arrested in connection with the violence in which seven were injured, at least one very seriously.
Kalu Nangi / October 6, 2013
If Herman Gunaratne is so close to Gotabaya Rajapakse as claimed by Mangala, how come he is arrested?
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Javi / October 6, 2013
“how come he is arrested?”
The same way Rajapassa has known Sinhala & Tamil terrorist in his cabinet Biscuit Boofer.
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gamini / October 6, 2013
Kalu Nangi, precisely. Wait and see what will happen to the Cops who arrested Herman Gunasekara. They will be transferred to some distant remote place and the Investigation will be handled by Gota’s cronies. As a first step Herman G. will be released and some other poor bugger will have to pay.
By the way not only Herman Gunasekara is close to Gota, he functions as an Advisor to President MR. What more do you want to know?
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Kalu Nangi / October 6, 2013
I have come to the same conclusion regarding Herman Gunaratne’s connections to the President having read an article appearing in the online paper of The Island of November 19, 2011 titled “The Never Ending Fonseka Tragedy” –
Here’s the extract:
“…..From the beginning, Fonseka’s defence counsel Nalin Ladduwahetty was fighting a rear guard battle as Fonseka is not the kind of client who will help those who are trying to help him. On one occasion, Herman Gunaratne of “For a Sovereign State” fame who knew both Fonseka and president Mahinda Rajapaksa and had ready access to the president wanted to mount a rescue operation to save the imprisoned war hero and the present columnist readily agreed to help. His plan was to work out a deal between Fonseka and Rajapaksa where Fonseka gives certain pledges in exchange for presidential leniency……”
Herman Gunaratne sure seems to be having a very close rapport with the President!!
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Kalu Nangi / October 6, 2013
It is also quite probable that Mangala Samaraweera is also getting some support from MR, if not he and his cohorts couldn’t have carried out the attack against the Maithree gang with sticks and stones in front of the Police.
What a web of intrigue! Both sides are secretly supported by MR with the ultimate objective of destroying the UNP, by putting one against the other!
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Native Vedda / October 6, 2013
Kalu Nangi
“WIf Herman Gunaratne is so close to Gotabaya Rajapakse as claimed by Mangala, how come he is arrested?”
In order to release him with fanfare and hero’s welcome.
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Fathima Fukushima / October 6, 2013
This thug is a fool. He has shot at his own son!
Kothapaya’s friends are all STREET FIGHTERS and UNPers.
Of course some LTTE terrorists too like KP, GM, KA.
He operates like the KGB. No one knows who is Kothapaya’s informant. I’m sure Vigneswaran is one of them.
Will I be white-vanned for telling the truth?
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J.muthu / October 6, 2013
Yea exactly he got your brain…what you expect you fool….
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Fathima Fukushima / October 6, 2013
This thug is a fool. He has shot at his own son!
Kothapaya’s friends are all STREET FIGHTERS and UNPers.
Of course some LTTE terrorists too like KP, GM, KA.
He operates like the KGB. No one knows who is Kothapaya’s informant. I’m sure Vigneswaran is one of them.
Will I be white-vanned for telling the truth? :(
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Spring Koha / October 6, 2013
If this is our OPPOSITION the God help us!
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gamini / October 6, 2013
Kana Koha, why you thought otherwise every thing else is hunky dory in the Country? Thanks no one died. Where were you when Shiek Khuram, Nihal Perera, Madawala, Bharatha Laxman and so many others were killed in broad day light within High Security Zones? Here again it is not Ranil’s supporters who have used fire arms. But once the Investigations are taken over by the CID in Colombo, it might be that the shot had been fired with Mangala’s Gun, that is why it hit the leg of that injured person. Honestly you people are pathetic and responsible for the present decadence prevailing in the country.
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Spring Koha / October 6, 2013
‘Koheda yan’nae? mul’lay pol’ Listen Dummkopf, english comprehension is clearly not your strong point. I would advise you (and others with similar shortcomings) to stick to making your comments in the sinhala newspapers where you, perhaps, will understand the lingo and not waste time with idiotic comments.
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Donald J Gnanakone / October 7, 2013
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/video-evidence-herman-guneratne-shoots-unp-supporters/
The evidence against Herman Guneratne was overwhelming including the video, photographs and eye witnesses. He came fully armed and prepared to murder and was in the forefront from the beginning.
Herman is a very well known racist-chauvinist-extremist for the past 30 years. He is not only a good buddy of the Rajapakse brothers now but was a very good buddy of Gamini Dissanayake in the seventies and the eighties.
Herman was involved with the Sinhala colonization and state terrorism in the North and East, together with the racist and radical Buddhist momks, especially when he was employed at the Mahaweli ministry. He has openly admitted it in his book boasting about what he did, and when he did it. So you all need not take my word for this fact.
His son is married to Cyril Mathew’s grand niece.
Herman left the UNP long years ago after Gamini’s failed attempt in undermining President Premadasa. Strangely, Sajith Premadasa is working closely with Maithree Guneratne.
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srilal / October 7, 2013
Thanks Donald for that inside info…
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Javi / October 7, 2013
“If this is our OPPOSITION the God help us!”
God helps those who help themselves!
God is beyond man’s power to conceive isn’t it?
Any big bully, who feels confident that he can win the war, can start a war at any time.
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gamini / October 8, 2013
Spring Koha, leave my English comprehension out. But for the benefit of others could you kindly explain what you meant by ‘If this is our Opposition the(n) God help us’ I believe the omission of letter ‘n’ is a typo error. If you were not trying to pin blame on the Opposition here, seeking God’s redress, what else were you trying to imply?
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Tasil Samarasinha / October 6, 2013
Without trying to destroy the UNP with their leadership and reform process both father and son should spend their time providing leadership and reforming their own kith and kin.
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Lapatiya / October 6, 2013
It seems this guy, Hermen Gunaratna advising both President Rajapaksha and Sajith Premadasa as well. He should be taking 2 Salaries from the Government as Presidential Advisor and from Keeli Maharaja as Advisor to Sajith Premadasa.
Probably this guy, Hermen Gunaratna, is the one who is advising President how to destroy the Opposition while advising Keeli Maharaja how to chase Ranil out.
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vx / October 6, 2013
When comparing Herman to his son,Maithree,he is better focused in street fights than Maithree.So,Maithree give up your political post and hand it over to your father,Herman,because he is a much capable person to deal with Rajapaksha & company.
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Spring Koha / October 6, 2013
‘Koheda yan’nae? mul’lay pol’ Listen Dummkopf, english comprehension is clearly not your strong point. I would advise you (and others with similar shortcomings) to stick to making your comments in the sinhala newspapers where you, perhaps, will understand the lingo and not waste time with idiotic comments.
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Javi / October 7, 2013
Emotions trailing a lost humour in flowers fangs, isn’t it?
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Rev.Devil / October 7, 2013
Every time a girl is raped and killed, every time a murder is committed, we have seen and heard the accused politicians claiming that the story is a manipulation to tarnish the name of the Almighty President MaRa, and let’s see the version of this lunatic moron !!?
Also it looks like the season of the Fathers !!?
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Karuna & Maithri / October 7, 2013
I do not want to take sides
on the UNP issue.
I want to ask a question
from your readers. Maithri
and his father Herman Gunaratne
want Ranil Wickremesinghe out
of the UNP.
Does Maithri, or very importantly
Herman Gunaratne believe, that
could be done at the point of
a gun? See the following video
TV material and it is like the
wild west.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-fbsMYm5vA&feature=player_embedded&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Ffeature%3Dplayer_embedded%26v%3DX-fbsMYm5vA&app=desktop
There is a shameful indictment on
the Colombo media. Herman Gunaratne has
shot and wounded people, at least one
of them seriously. But NO Colombo English
newspaper wants to mention his name. The
Colombo SMS operators who deliver today’s
news today call him Maithri’s father. Does
not Maithri’s father have a name?
Is the national media protecting a would be
pistol weilding killer? Why only report the
names of ordinary criminals or Duminda and
Mervyn Silva? Is Herman Gunaratne so sacrosanct?
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Danno Danithi / October 8, 2013
A grand father, a son, a grand son and and an automatic
pistol is all you need to fight a cause these days.
Donald Gnanakone has referred to gunman Herman Gunaratne’s
antecedents. He has either failed or deliberately omitted
one important fact. He was responsible for settling people
in the North and East. He pocketed over a million rupees.
The late J.R. Jayawardene ordered him arrested and prosecuted.
He ran to Ravi Jayawardene, JR’s son. JR insisted he paid back
the money. Then the AG’s Department was ordered to withdraw
the case against Herman Gunaratne. He is not only a dyed in the
wool racist but is present where large sums of money is.
There is a case involving him and his son in the Galle
Magistrate’s court for misappropriation. The file was called by
the AG’s Department. It went missing from there. That was the
end of the case.There is more.
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