By Suranimala –
Many speculate what the State of the Nation would be today if Lasantha Wickrematunge were alive. I have thought about it too. But, then I know. If it were not on that fateful day, the 8th of January 2009 it would have been another day. It is said that the greatest aphrodisiac known to man is the power of man over man. Lasantha had to be killed for one man’s power over all men in Sri Lanka. He may be power hungry, yet be a coward who would use minions to do such a dastardly crime for some petty gain, but the Boss would convince himself that he didn’t do it. He may even be cowardly enough to go overseas to convince himself that he was away from the country when the murder was being perpetuated.
Lasantha would have been 66 years young today. Did he not have a right to see his family grow? tousle his children’s hair? That was not even a thought that crossed a narcissist’s mind. Who was Lasantha? Just another man.
Gods make such men bent of mind before dealing with them as surely and certainly. They make them flee in fear, make them incontinent under pressure and even cry before authority when confronted. Did the Gods do that? Only the perpetrators would know besides a few.
Fifteen years have gone by. He lives. He is spoken of within and outside the Country. People loved him. Crooked politicians and businessmen hated him. One even gloated over his killing. “Did you see?”, he said. “He was killed like a dog on the street”. These were people who paid politicians big bucks to beggar the Nation. Gods will take care of them too. There are no posh and high-priced lawyers upstairs in that Court.
When you Gota go, you Gota go, whether it is, to the Lavatory or Cemetery.
Enjoy your birthday from up there Lasantha but keep doing what you are doing for our Country and people.
chiv / April 5, 2024
Democrazy at it’s best
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Ruchira / April 5, 2024
Perpertrators need to be brought to justice not just of Lasantha’s murder but of many others’ – some well known, some not so much… wasn’t there a case filed in a US court by his duaghter? Wonder what happened to that?
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Ajith / April 6, 2024
All knew who did it?
Those who did it chased away from the Country. All knew who did Easter Bomb? But they came back. The Buddhist Fundamentalist system protects them. What can we do? Will the country change now even after they brought bankruptcy? The Buddhist Funamentalism above the Buddhism.
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Naman / April 6, 2024
Lasantha W will be remembered for ever in the history books of SL. Was His life as well as so many others lives were terminated by a Great Warrior/Master Mind? Is that person getting the white Van/ex-tigers ready for more nefarious acts? Any talk about the the White Flag’ episode?
Justice is still being waited!
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Plato / April 6, 2024
15 yrs have rolled by after the Murder of Lasantha in broad daylight in a high security zone.
The whole country knows who engineered the murder.
In 2005 the govt; of Sirisena and Ranil could have opened the case. But there was no headway. Besides it was a half hearted attempt. THERE WERE WHEELS WITHIN WHEELS .Shani Abeysekera was getting near to cracking the case but in 2019 he was put behind bars.
With a Presidential Election round the corner candidates should make the murder of Lasantha a political issue. Of -course Ranil Rajapakse would not move in that direction.
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Sugandh / April 8, 2024
“Many speculate what the State of the Nation would be today if Lasantha Wickrematunge were alive.”
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A few cared. By far and wide, the masses didn’t care. The masses availed their Sinhala Buddhist fascist hero unlimited impunity because he served their agenda well. So then Who is Lasantha?
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The few who cared know how so very important Lasantha Wickrematunge’s journalism was to Sri Lanka. The truths that Lasantha exposed will forever remain etched in our history.
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SJ / April 8, 2024
Lasantha was not well known among the public.
His readership was limited too an urban (rather English speaking) middle class.
The issues that he took up despite their importance were not mass political or economic issues.
But he did scare a few people.
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Sugandh / April 9, 2024
SJ, also perhaps most other media outlets deliberately chose not to publish Lasantha’s exposés.
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Lester / April 8, 2024
Lasantha was just a journalist. The real loss to the country comes from the brutal assassinations of people like Tiruchelvam and Lakshman K. These were world-class intellectuals who fell victim to the fascism of the Tamil Diaspora. Those who are begging India to intervene and implement 13A – these same individuals were silent when the intellectuals were murdered.
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Sugandh / April 8, 2024
Were there no other world-class intellectuals in Sri Lanka to make up for those two men who were assassinated?
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No world-class intellectuals before these two men to pre-empt Sinhala Buddhist fascism???
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Not before, not during, and not after these two men. Sri Lanka is clearly bankrupt in more than one way.
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Sri Lanka did not specifically need world-class intellectuals of Tamil ethnicity. In fact, it would have been best those leaders who wielded electoral power happened to be world-class intellectuals.
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SJ / April 8, 2024
“Lasantha was just a journalist.”
If he was so unimportant, why did the person behind the killing go through such great trouble t be rid of him?
Lasantha warned MR about the suspect, and he was right it appears.
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Native Vedda / April 8, 2024
Lester
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“The real loss to the country comes from the brutal assassinations of people like Tiruchelvam and Lakshman K.”
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The profit and losses are measured by who killed who, not by the acts of assassinations.
Are you saying it is alright if a person is killed by Gota’s Sturmabteilung but very wrong if killed by VP’s boys. It strange it appears it doesn’t occur to you both acts of assassinations are not only wrong but counter productive.
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You stupidly imply Lasantha was a lesser individual than the two whom you chose to name them intellectuals.
Does it mean anyone can kill anyone because in your view the would be victim is a lessor person?
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What a load of malarkey.
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