By Dean Nelson – the Telegraph –
The leader of a Sri Lankan opposition party has accused the country’s security forces of kidnapping him and subjecting him to ‘sexual torture.’
Dean Nelson
Premakumar Gunaratnam, a founder of the Frontline Socialist Party, said he was kidnapped along with a party colleague by members of Sri Lanka’s security forces who raided his home in Colombo in the early hours of April 7.
“I was abducted by the Sri Lankan government forces, blindfolded and tortured. This includes, I am embarrassed to say, sexual torture,” he said after he was released and deported to Australia, where he holds dual nationality.
He said he believes he would have been killed had Australia not asked the Sri Lankan government of his whereabouts.
Human rights groups and senior opposition leaders said their disappearance highlighted an upsurge in kidnappings of dissident figures after a lull following the end of the country’s long civil war.
Mangala Samaraweera, spokesman for the United National Party and a former foreign minister, said he believed the government was behind the spate of kidnappings, which he said were now being used to suppress any opposition or dissent.
Before the end of the civil war in May 2009, there was a series of ‘White Van’ kidnappings and assassinations of government critics and opponents linked to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elaam (LTTE), including the murder of newspaper editor Lasantha Wickramatunga, who was shot dead by motorcycle gunmen.
But since October last year there have been 30 new ‘White Van’ disappearances, including several dissident figures within the government, said Mr Samaraweera.
“There has been an upsurge in White Van abductions since last October. Even the United States State Department has inquired of the government the status of its inquiries into these abductions. Before they were launched against LTTE suspects, but now they are using these tactics against dissidents within the government,” he said.
He said a brother in law of a cabinet minister and the pro-government leader of a local government authority were among those kidnapped recently.
Meenakshi Ganguly of Human Rights Watch said the Sri Lankan government had encouraged a culture of impunity by failing to investigate kidnappings or bring those responsible to justice. “It has been going on for years and the government has never taken it seriously,’ she said.
Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Ministry denied Mr Gunaratnam had been kidnapped and said he had been detained as an illegal immigrant who had overstayed his visa.
Upul Abe / April 13, 2012
Hello, great post!
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Max Silva / April 13, 2012
Have the Aussies gone completely nuts?Srilanka’s leader of the opposition is Ranil Wickramasinghe.It is my strong belief that ole Doc Brian must have introduced some powerful crazy bacteria to the Aussie drinking water system.Hey you Aussie idiots,the one you are referring to is non other than Bomba Gunda.
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suz / April 13, 2012
INVISIBLE BOMBA GUNDA cannot be a dual citizen on defferent names and man who violated immigration law ,doing mafia politics .the opposition leader of COMEDY WIKRAMASINHA must be crazy of law and get lost one more time
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GV / April 13, 2012
Get a life man !!
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Rod / April 13, 2012
Max [Edited out], You bloody FA may [Edited out] of MaRa and Gothaya who cares but seriously you need mental treatment before you go down as a lunatic. Listen you [Edited out], there are so many opposition leaders you idiot, Ranil Wickramasinghe is only the leader of opposition of Sri Lankan Parliament that’s it. So check your drinking water supply whether it is contaminated with MR’s or Gothaya’s urine.
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Max Silva / April 13, 2012
Rod[Edited out by me to save TC’s time] i will call you the opposition leader of Srilanka.Pl say thank you.
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Rod / April 13, 2012
Max fool, lol..you dum.. ” Sour Grapes ” ha haa hahaaa !!
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suz / April 13, 2012
the opposition leader of srilanka is one an only comedy WIKRAMA ,[Edited out]
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kamal nissanka / April 13, 2012
Kumar is not the opposition leader
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Max Silva / April 13, 2012
Lets call Kumar Mahathaya the Bomba King of Srilanka!
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Chandimal / April 13, 2012
Max Silva, suz (what the hell is this donkey name),
“The leader of a Sri Lankan opposition party …”
Even a kinder-gardener knows the statement may refer to any leader of the many opposition parties in the country whereas this mental retard who is running all over the internet forums like a cockroach crept out of a septic tank has hung on to Ranil Wickramasinghe because of his obsession and fear of this future leader of the country.
It is not the Aussies who have drunk bacteria water but these pigs who are living in the septic tank of the rogue king’s corrupt palace that have drunk the filthy muck emitted by the Rajapakshas and their henchmen. Rajapakshas lunatic genes have entered the rotten bio systems of Max Silva and suz#?! and the pigs have forgotten the abc now! Anichchawatha sankara!
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Max Silva / April 14, 2012
Mr Chandimal,
Mr Max Silva Srilanka’s opposition leader has received your comments.But due to the stiniking nature of your comment it has been thrown in to the septic tank.Thank You.
Secretary to Hon Max Silva Srilanka’s opposition leader.
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Godaya / April 14, 2012
Max Silva and Suz are Suckers of MR’s throw away bones.
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Chandrani / April 14, 2012
Wow! Overnight he has been conferred the rank of Opposition Leader when the Party itself was constituted a few days ago! What has Ranil W the Real Opposition Leader has to say about this? Why can’t these foreigners ever get their facts right about Sri Lanka.
Anyway, those who really know about the Late Ranjithan and current Kumar know which brother was the real intellectual, brilliant student, humanitarian, poet and social equal.
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sjv chelvanayakam / April 14, 2012
i wonder what the difference between the opposition party that ommands a healthy majority of seats and a FRINGE party sauch as this guy represents??? True this stupid abduction was the most crazy moves.. the questions they have asked could have been asked in front of journalist and discredited this personal individual… yet this practise of white van is not so uncommon.. The USA uses WHITE PLANES and have given it a fancy name called Rendition.. the use clearly have lifted citizens of various nations and taken them to the words greatest toture hotspots in the name of national security.. And the US President From Bush to obama have admitted they use torture i mean enhanced interrogation… which have given some good results.. on the other hand there are Canadian, EU, Australian citizens who still sit in guantanamo bay.. by i dont hear these Governments kicking up a fuss about them.. very selective????
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jane doe / April 15, 2012
The first rule about journalism is that you have a credible source and the right facts – any moron knows that the opposition leader is Ranil – if you’re going to write a story about Sri Lanka (no matter how biased you intend on it being) please for the love of writers everywhere, at least get yourself an education on the basic facts. you’ll save yourself some embarrassment.
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