By Rajan Hoole –
Rajan Hoole
Political Murders, the Commissions and the Unfinished Task – 3
The suicide bomber who killed Premadasa on 1st May 1993 was said to be Kulaveerasingam Veerakumar (23) alias Babu, from Jaffna. Nearly all the details given to the Press came from Amarasena Rajapakse, DIG, CID. He had the distinction of being kept on extension 3 years past the mandatory retirement age of 60 by the Premadasa government. He disclosed in a statement to the Press on 4th June, that at 12.45 PM on 1st May while Premadasa was supervising a feeder procession for the UNP May Day rally at the Armour Street-Grand Pass Junction, Babu left his bicycle near Premadasa’s vehicle and walked towards Premadasa. Three of Premadasa’s security men tried to stop him, when his valet E.M.P. Mohideen signalled the security men to let Babu pass. Just then, Babu exploded a device strapped to him, killing besides himself, Premadasa, Mohideen, SSP Ronnie Gunasinghe and several others. Evans Cooray, a journalist who usually accompanied Premadasa, is said to have survived because he went to make a telephone call.
A controversy that arose then was the cleaning of the site of the blast one and a half hours after the incident, contrary to the standard police practice of cordoning off the area and allowing the detectives to look for clues. According to the Sunday Times (16.5.93), the CID blamed the CDB for this, and CDB said they only followed ‘orders from the top’, so as to avert a major disaster – presumably communal violence. This according to the Police was justified since the magistrate had visited the scene. They tried to contact the Scotland Yard team investigating the Athulathmudali murder, but they were evidently out of Colombo in the Yala wildlife sanctuary. There was indeed a tense situation and looking back from now it may be unfair to fault the Police on this score.
We give the police versions as transpiring in their inquiries. At the press conference on 3rd June, Rajapakse was at great pains to make out that Premadasa did not know Babu. Mohideen, he said, had been raised by Premadasa from his childhood and was totally loyal to him, sleeping regularly outside his door. But Babu became friendly with Mohideen and some members of the security staff by catering to their weakness for wine and women. Babu, he said, had accompanied Premadasa on at least 5 outstation trips by travelling in the advance security vehicle.
Prior to this conference, the information appearing in the Press is briefly as follows: Babu had come to Colombo about two years before the assassination. He had paid Rs. 650,000 to the Sinhalese owner (Raja) as advance to rent a grocery shop in front of Premadasa’s residence Sucharita. He spent as much as Rs. 4,000 at a time to entertain Sucharita staff and police officers, several of whose photographs were in his album. But he did not himself participate in these orgies.
Rajapakse further said at the same press conference (3rd June) that Babu had owned 3 lorries to transport goods to Jaffna, then part of the LTTE controlled area. He said that Mohideen had used his influence to get these vehicles through checkpoints in Vavuniya. He later added (press report, 7 June 93) that these vehicles probably passed unchecked and would have been used as a means to smuggling explosives into Colombo. A few days later (Sunday Times 13.6) it was revealed that the ASP in charge of the Presidential Security Division (PSD), a constable and two members of the presidential staff were arrested under the PTA and that the wild orgies had taken place at Sucharita itself. Babu it is said, had moved freely around Sucharita and that the four detained had kept him away from the President several times.
This was not the end of it. The revelations drifted further into the surreal, as though some fiction writer were pouring out the wildest dreams of Sri Lankans. The CID further revealed (Island 14.6.93) that Babu had been in close touch with 25 members of the PSD who enabled Babu to travel in vehicles of the advance party during Premadasa’s outstation tours.
A further revelation coming from Rajapakse was that he had on 9th March the same year received information that there would be an attempt to poison Premadasa. He had then communicated this to Premadasa at Sucharita and went on to address the kitchen staff at mid- night. He advised them to buy their vegetables from different places and to give information immediately of any suspicious persons sighted. Gunatilleke, DIG, PSD, was present. After feeding through press conferences rising expectations of grand police swoops and sensational court trials of treacherous cops, the affair fizzled out as a damp squib. No one is sure what was going on in Premadasa’s intimate surroundings. It has been pointed out by fellow police officers that if Rajapakse had bona fide information about an attempt to poison Premadasa, his duty was to inform the IGP. Again how seriously Premadasa took this police officer who was solicitous of his safety, it is said, is reflected in Premadasa asking him to talk to the kitchen staff.
During the July 1983 violence, Rajapakse was as SSP, Director CID. That was when a number of Leftists, including JVP leaders, had been taken into custody following Government allegations that they were the miscreants behind the holocaust. In a private conversation, the head of a government department who regularly visited the detainees expressed scepticism about those accused by the Government being guilty of the violence. Rajapakse, according to this witness, responded promptly, saying, ‘We will find the evidence’. Rajapakse also conveyed to Lionel Bopage, who was then the JVP’s general secretary, an invitation from the ‘top’ to join the UNP.
Frank de Silva was DIG, CID, when Premadasa was elected president in December 1988 and went out on an overseas assignment on 8th April 1989. When he returned a few days later, Rajapakse who was DIG, Kandy, was in his place. (Udugampola was then moved to Kandy from Anuradhapura.) The letter transferring Frank de Silva to DIG, Administration, was sent out the same day he went overseas. He found out on inquiry that the decision to transfer him was neither the IGP’s nor the Defence Secretary’s, but had come from the ‘top’. During the proceeding February, Bennet Perera, an able officer who was SSP, CID, was moved out and Chandra Jayewardene who in 1983 was ASP, CID, under Rajapakse was moved in.
Rajapakse’s revelations suggest that Premadasa’s surroundings were brimming with louts, lewd men and traitors. A warning had apparently been received 53 days earlier of an impending attempt on Premadasa. A correspondent in the Sunday Island had pointed out that rather than lecture the kitchen staff, Rajapakse and DIG, PSD, ought to have checked out their backgrounds as well as those of others on his staff and the PSD. If Babu had moved freely around the place, surely someone would have alerted those responsible. After all, a Tamil anywhere is an object of suspicion. We are also asked to believe that almost a whole platoon of PSD men had been bought over willy-nilly by Babu’s largesse.
This is hardly credible. Priyadharshana Senanayake who had been in the STF and later on the security staff of J.R. Jayewardene and other VIPs, had been assigned to Sirisena Cooray, Premadasa’s right-hand-man and cabinet minister, in 1992. During this period Sothi Upali, an underworld figure in Cooray’s employ too used to don STF uniform, sport a T-56 rifle and mix with the professional security men of Cooray’s as well as STF men assigned to Premadasa. Senanayake told the Athulathmudali Commission that the professionals resented this and had complained to their superiors, but to no avail. We are left to wonder whether Babu travelled on the floor- board of one of Premadasa’s advance party vehicles or if he too wore a uniform like Sothi Upali.
We are also treated to another sensational lapse. Babu it seems was able to send his lorries up and down to the North without having them checked by the Army and Police teams in Vavuniya. It was further suggested by the Police that this facility was used to smuggle explosives into Colombo. Mohideen, Premadasa’s valet, is credited with having helped Babu in this matter. If so, then Mohideen had an influential line of contact with the army hierarchy controlling the northbound checkpoint. We do know that corruption was rife and a good deal of money changed hands between traders and high ranking security personnel. But when such corruption leads to the death of the President, it becomes too serious a matter to stop with disclosures at press conferences.
We do not know if this part of the investigation about the valet Mohideen’s highly influential connections ever took place. The Police seem to have been content with peddling lascivious stories about wine and women as a substitute for serious investigation.
Premadasa was personally a hard working, abstemious man. There was nothing trivial about him. He held onto power with much going against him and was to the end an effective administrator. But one cannot avoid the conclusion that his style entailed a certain looseness around him. This enabled him to maintain unorthodox contacts. It may also be noted that while his predecessors operated from upper class residential areas as Colombo 7, Temple Trees in Colombo 3 or Queen’s House in Fort, Premadasa functioned largely from his working class base in Colombo North. This looseness also enabled him to be very secretive about his contacts and his dealings, which were crucial to him at critical times. It was also a weakness.
Upon further inquiry, Babu’s role seemed difficult to pin down. Several persons who were directly or indirectly in Premadasa’s circle doubt that the LTTE was responsible for his death. One suggestion was that the bomb was one that was thrown, rather than a human bomb. To begin with a number of officials who had been close to Premadasa, including Evans Cooray who always accompanied him on his trips, found Babu a total mystery. Only Premadasa’s daughter Mrs. Dulanjalee Jayakody testified to having seen Babu “in the Sucharita area” (Island 10 June 94).
There was then the question of the bicycle that came from Pettah and turned into Armour Street. Except for Rajapakse’s statement, we do not know of any testimony on record that the rider was Babu. The unprofessional conduct of the Police has also left room for doubts to be raised. For example, are there proper records of the location and custody of body parts of the supposed suicide killer? The head is reported to have been recovered more than 25 yards away from the scene. However two journalists from the Yukthiya and Lankadipa who went to the scene a short time later saw a head and two feet in sports shoes being shoved inside a police jeep, and Reuters has a photograph of the jeep where the severed feet are clearly shown.
Rohan Gunaratna, in his International and Regional Security Implications of the Sri Lankan Tamil Insurgency (1997), shows a picture of the head of Babu with a lump of flesh proceeding from the neck. Opposite this picture is that of a youth who is said to be Babu’s brother who was involved in the LTTE’s purchasing network in South-East Asia. In a later photograph shown by the Police, the hanging flesh had been cut off. Except for minor bruises, the face was fairly clean. This led a person who was called to identify the head to believe that Babu was a victim of foul play. We will now examine other testimony.
To be continued..
*From Rajan Hoole‘s “Sri Lanka: Arrogance of Power – Myth, Decadence and Murder”. Thanks to Rajan for giving us permission to republish. To read earlier parts click here
expatriate / June 21, 2014
I recall Bradman Weerakoon,the then Presidential Advisr, as stating that he did not recall a person called Babu. Did Brad actually say so?
Expatriate
/
Ramanay K / June 21, 2014
Dr.Hoole,forget about who killed Premadasa.Let us know about the “killing” of K.Thayapararaja who has sought asylum in India.
University Teachers for Human Rights – Jaffna (UTHR-J) in their Special Report No.34 of December 13, 2009
(http://www.uthr.org/SpecialReports/Special%20rep34/Uthr-sp.rp34part6.htm)
K. Thayapararajah, a brilliant product of the Engineering Faculty at Peradeniya was the head of the Vanni Tech, as both a civilian teacher and administrator. He would have met Charles Anthony, now dead, and a few other LTTE figures at board meetings. He fell out with the LTTE and came out of the NFZ with his family in late March, identified himself to the Army and was questioned before being sent on. He joined his family in Vavuniya for some time, went to Colombo to find his way abroad. He was arrested in September 2009 in Colombo and tortured at a security camp in Avissawella, was shot and injured on September 13 while being taken to court under escort and died at Kalubowila Hospital two days later. Such actions introduce a needless element of insecurity into the life of every Tamil. The government did not even acknowledge the incident, leave alone investigate it, nor did the Press report it.
Martin Ennals award? SHAME ON YOU!
/
gamini / June 21, 2014
What a Drama typical Sirisena Cooray style where Senior Police and the underworld was in his pay. Sirisena Cooray was the right hand man of Premadasa as both were Comrades of Crime. Premadasa knew Sirisena Cooray better than anyone else. It is for this reason that Premadasa never fancied making Sirisena Cooray the PM knowing the danger what would happen to him if he did. Otherwise Sirisena Cooray should have been the PM. It is for this reason that Premadasa decided on DBW as PM, who was completely harmless. There is lot of crap spewed by the Police to project Babu was an LTTE plant. To date never had the LTTE taken credit to say Babu was an LTTE plant. Besides Babu could have easily blown Premadasa to smithereens without having to commit suicide himself and escaped without notice, being in and out of Sucharitha. The bomb could have been easily planted right under Premadasa’s bed for that matter. Babu did not wear a suicide jacket but a parcel given to him to be personally delivered to Boss soon. That is how Babu used his push cycle to get to Armour Street from Sucharitha as there is no bus service in the area. There was no problem for Babu to get past the Security network as Babu was known to the entire PSD of Premadasa. Just as Babu got close to Premadasa to deliver the unknown parcel someone from the vicinity detonated the bomb. Fearing that the Govt. Analyst will not find any traces of a suicide jacket to implicate Babu to complete the story, the place was washed in no time by the Fire Brigade that was under the CMC, where Sirisena Cooray had great influence after he was the longest standing Mayor at the CMC. If only the Fire Brigade was questioned as to who gave the order to wash, would have revealed the true assassin of Premadasa.
/
shankar / June 22, 2014
Gamini,you have missed an important point.You have not told us about the motive.Why would sirisena cooray bump off preme.I thought he got all his powers through preme. Without preme isn’t cooray a nothing because he does not have the charisma to win over the masses like preme.
Your analysis especially the one about the clean up seems to be dead correct except for this motive.However the fact that babu comes from jaffna 2 years earlier gives such a substantial amount of money to rent opposite sucharita is very suspicious and points to him being LTTE.
/
gamini / June 22, 2014
Shankar,
The story that Babu had come to Colombo two years before and rented a premises and the kind of money that he has been throwing about is all a concoction of DIG Rajapaksa to mislead. Do you believe that Premadasa would have hired such a person or tolerated him within Sucharitha for that matter? Babu had been a resident around Sucharitha known to Premadasa for many years. This could be confirmed by Sajith or Dulanjalee today.
Although Premadasa and Cooray were Comrades in Crime they feared each other. True Cooray benefited from Premadasa after he became President. Premadasa was always watchful on Cooray. Cooray was a very slimy character, soft spoken but absolutely deadly. Cooray understood why he was not recognised for PM by Premadasa. Cooray was quietly building his base not only with the Local underworld but the far East as well and marking time to strike at the opportune time. It was then that Premadasa discovered Joe Simm, Cooray’s ally and got him out overnight. Cooray did not make an issue nor speak a word against Premadasa about Joe Simm. It was about this time that Premadasa had engaged the services of Bradmon Weerakoon to write his family History, of course fictitious and was moving from Church to Mosque to Kovil to Temple with a tray of flowers to project as Mr. Clean. About this time Lalith and Gamini were making strides with the DUNF not to the liking of Cooray who had his ear to the ground. Cooray realised that if Premadasa was ousted by Lalith and Gamini, his plans would have gone for a six. Cooray obviously discussed with Premadasa to eliminate the threat, but Premadasa I am told was against, because Premadasa was involved in living up to the character of Mr. Clean in Bradmon’s book and did not want a murder in his hand. However Cooray fearing that Premadasa risking would end his plans, decided on his own to eliminate Lalith. After Lalith was killed Premadasa has been visibly hurt and there was speculation that Premadasa was accused. Premadasa, on a day close to the May 1st, at a Meeting had said that he will reveal who really killed Lalith at the May Day Rally. Possibly Premadasa fearing Cooray would have thought it to be an ideal opportunity to fix Cooray. Cooray also would have feared Premadasa might let him down at the May 1st Meeting. Little that Premadasa knew that Cooray had already planned of his exit before addressing the May Day Rally, like how it happened. After Premadasa’s death Cooray played a passive role allowing DBW to become the President and Ranil to become the PM. Cooray’s plan was to promote Ranil as the President afterwards for him to become the PM. Had that plan worked it would have been a matter of time for Ranil to be killed by the LTTE for Cooray to succeed as President. Unfortunately for Cooray, DBW was under Gamini’s command and he became a stumbling block, where Cooray did his best to prevent Gamini entering the UNP, by the nominated refusing to quit to make way for Gamini. The rest is History. The reason why Ranil prevented Sirisena Cooray re-entering the UNP is obviously because he knows who Sirisena Cooray is.
/
shankar / June 24, 2014
“Cooray realised that if Premadasa was ousted by Lalith and Gamini, his plans would have gone for a six.”
Gamini,what plans?
“Premadasa was involved in living up to the character of Mr. Clean in Bradmon’s book and did not want a murder in his hand.”
Ha,ha,ha.Wasn’t this the bugger who tortured and killed Richard desoyza.He coudn’t care a shit about his clean or dirty image.
Wasn’t SP ronnie gunasinghe the one who took away richard.He also dies with premedasa. karma is a bitch they say.
If premedasa wanted to kill lalith he would have done it regardless of his image etc.If he did not do it it must be for some other reason.
“After Premadasa’s death Cooray played a passive role allowing DBW to become the President and Ranil to become the PM.’
Of course cooray has to play a passive role.The working committe etc would have been packed with premedasa cronies just like the present on is packed with ranil cronies.Without premedasa cooray is nothing.he would have not had any influence on DBW or RW becoming president and PM.he can’t stop it anyway.
That is why i’am skeptical that he killed preme because all his power comes through preme.The fact that he would overule preme and kill lalith and thereby go on a collision course with preme is unthinkable.The type of man preme was nobody would do that.
“Had that plan worked it would have been a matter of time for Ranil to be killed by the LTTE for Cooray to succeed as President.”
Cooray knows very well that the people won’t vote for him as the president.Just like DBW he knows that he will only be a stop gap president.He knows he has no charisma and personality and only by hanging onto someone who has that he can thrive.he works best as a backroom guy and preme would have valued him for that.They both needed each other,so i’am skeptical of either trying to get rid of the other.Upasiri desilva’s theory sounds more plausible.
/
gamini / June 24, 2014
Shankar,
The DUNF was fast gaining ground. So had Lalith and Gamini won, defeating Premadasa, Sirisena Cooray too would have been out. I am sorry to spoon feed you that when I mentioned Cooray’s plan would have got shattered, was his plan of becoming the President. Cooray’s chances stood with Premadasa around and not without him. The working Committee then had individuals as Sothi Upali. Today under Ranil no such characters are in the Working Committee.
Yes Premadasa killed Richard De Soyza, but he did not want a further murder on his hand of Lalith, because probably he believed that he could have avoided and continue or possibly he had some other plan. Then only Cooray decides to act on his own to protect his interest by liquidating Lalith. Why do you believe that Lalith was killed by the LTTE?
/
shankar / June 24, 2014
“Why do you believe that Lalith was killed by the LTTE? “
gamini,i do not think that lalith was killed by LTTE,because i don’t think prabha was in the business of doing the dirty work for sinhalese leaders unless there was something substantial for him at stake or big bribe.He would have let lalith and preme bah each other out and then finish the winner off.Sure enough preme bumped off lalith and Prabha bumped off preme with the collusion of some people close to preme.
As i told you earlier cooray would have had no plans of becoming the president because he knew his limitations with no charisma at all.i’am surprised that is the so called plan you were talking.
/
gamini / June 24, 2014
Shankar,
Then you do not know who really Sirisena Cooray is. I knew Siri from the days he was at the Empire Cinema. Even Denzil Kobbekaduwe was Cooray’s work. Cooray was a very ambitious person. Why do you think Premadasa while living kept Sajith off Politics. Had Premadasa tried to groom Sajith he would have been a goner. It is for the fear that Cooray might do something to Sajith that Premedasa never entertained Sajith in Politics.
/
Backlash / June 24, 2014
Gamini – Do add Upali W to the list. Both Keselwatte Preme and Maru Sira criminalised our politics. CBK, though to a lesser extent, and more the Rajapakses
took it to the “new heights” we see now. The world laughs at us
wondering if we are a drug-trafficking, human-trafficking Govt that is out to finish our main minorities –
all done in the name of Buddhism.
Backlash
/
gamini / June 21, 2014
Just like how Premadasa was abhorred then, today the Rajapaksa’s are cursed by the public. A similar scenario is brewing where MR, Gota and Namal have set their eyes on the Presidency. The respective plotters and beneficiaries are many and it is a case, as to who pulls the trigger first. Like Premadasa, MR is hunted within.
/
Sven Perera / June 21, 2014
If premadasa the man who made over thaousands or lacks of houses for very poor people deserved to be ended up in this way, why MR should stay clean.. even if his administration has been doing all harm to all folks regardless of the race. Man^s sarong and the entire costume is soaked with the blood.. but cover up will make him a sober man to the stupid poor.
Good luck srilanka.
/
manel fonseka / June 21, 2014
I have never believed that the LTTE was responsible for Premadasa’s assassination. The normal procedure after such an incident would be to cordon off the site for thorough investigation. The site of this killing, however, was cleared within the hour — almost as if some agency wished to prevent the normal expected process to take place. At the time, experts from Scotland Yard were in the country, investigating the killing of Lalith Athulathmudali. Why weren’t they called in to look at the May Day assassination site?
Who would have given the order for its immediate clearance?
Moreover, Bradman Weerakoon, who was abroad at the time, was equally sceptical as it was his opinion that Premadasa was currently being rather obliging to the LTTE.
How many killings in this country have been carried out by various agencies during times of conflict and laid at the door of one extremist body or another.
/
Backlash / June 24, 2014
Manel – Your views are shared by a very large number. While the LTTE were no saints, blaming every wrong on them became a fad. Someone quipped why didn’t they blame the LTTE and the Tamil diaspora for the Tsunami.
Backlash
/
Upasiri de Silva / June 23, 2014
Rajan Hole failed to discuss how Babu (aka Kulaweerasingham Veerakumara),came to Colombo. Babu was brought to Colombo by a Top Civil servant serving for Premadasa at the time when he was the Prime Minister and the Minister of Construction and Housing and later as the top finance when Premadsa was the President. ( According to very reliable family member of this civil servant). Babu stayed at this civil servants sisters house, sharing the same room with the informant, in Dehiwala for two weeks and later was introduced to Mohideen by the same man.
Babu was established by the same man and allowed access to the Suchirathaya, according to the ASP who was manning the security at the Suchirathaya at that time, as and when he wanted.
President Premadsa was killed to get the ill earned money from 14 major construction projects where this top civil servant was party to every thing stacked in a Swiss bank where the Bank account numbers were only known to Premadasa and this man his trusted friend and adviser. The construction projects undertaken by various companies with connection to LTTE robbed the country over Rs. 8 billion by allowing the construction companies to claim on fictitious Variations. Project such as the Kotte Parliament House which was estimated at Rs.350 million at the tender stage end up costing Rs. 1,350 billion, Kaluthara Bridges cost Rs. 480 million at the tender stage cost 1,480 billion at the conclusion. Contractor paid for preserving the existing steel bridges and later paid for cutting the bridge frame work as they failed to remove the welded bolts.
Samanalawewa Hydro Project this civil servant took Rs. 1 billion and the CEB was not aware what happened to the funds. The cost of the Samanalawewa Project was not finalized as most work were not accounted for but paid by the CEB Project Director another LTTE supporter. Ragama Hospital Project was costed over 1.8 billion more than the estimated
cost. The hosing projects were sold Rs. 300,000 more than the construction cost as most houses were given after money paid to Mrs. Premadasa, who was the partner in crime with this civil servant.
When the Bomb exploded the said civil servant was at the Katunayake Airport trying to leave the country.
This si a good example for every one who accumulate public funds as their own funds with corruption. President Premadsa, was helping the LTTE but the LTTE wanted his money to buy weapons and other military equipment and they decided to eliminate him for the money. Sisirisena Coo ray may be planned other things but not President Premadasa’s death.
/
gamini / June 23, 2014
Upasiri,
Some of the projects you mention was not under Premadsa’s purview. True Paskeralingam was hand in glove with both Premadasa and Sirisena Cooray in inflating costs of projects pocketing the added costs. Keeang Nam was one of the major Companies that was involved in this racket. Premadasa had his own Treasury at Sucharitha, where most of these funds were stacked. Premadasa used these funds for various projects that he funded to avoid Treasury red tape. These funds did not go to the LTTE as they had their own sources of raising funds and they were not short of funds. Compared to the Funds the LTTE had access, these funds on inflated costs, would have been a pittance. For your information when Premadasa died, Dulanjalee and Hema had rushed to Sucharitha to secure the Private Treasury of Premadasa, but by that time, his erstwhile friend had cleared everything. LTTE had no reason to liquidate Premadsa as they could have done a lot of business together, just like how MR did, cutting deals with KP to eliminate VP in order to consolidate MR’s position as the man who defeated VP and the LTTE. Now it will be interesting to see after Vignaesewaran standing in between them, KP and MR
/
Upasiri de Silva / June 25, 2014
Gamini,
As you hit the nail correctly yes it was Paskaralingam who got Babu to Colombo according to his own Nephew. Since Pa ska became the Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Construction he was planning to collect money from contracts as he was obliged to help the LTTE as his younger brother was the LTTE big man in London.He was the one who commenced the ICTAD and appointed Munasinghe, one of the Senior Engineers from the old PWD as the Chairman as he was a YES man and Pa ska had the full control over him.
In 1987, as the Secretary of the Ministry he changed the then Contract Conditions used to procure contracts. The Contract Conditions used was the ICE/FIDIC Contract Conditions, but Paska use a special committee 5 Engineers (all Tamils from the then PWD) and two UN employees working with the Housing Ministry to change the Contract Conditions so he can manipulate all contracts easily as most Sri Lankan Engineers were very poor in reading the Contract Conditions to meet the requirement of the Contract Law. He forced the committee to change two very important clauses Cl 14 and Cl 60 and introduced a Advance Payment of 20% +5%+5% = 30% to be given to the contractor on a very flimsy bond to be recovered after the work is 95% completed. Out of this 30% 5% went direct to Premadsa and the balance 5% to Paska.
I researched all 14 Projects mentioned in my comments to collect facts for my PhD Thesis, as I was researching projects using discount rate less than 10% for sensitive projects and during my research I found, Paskaralingam has purposely crated a very CORRUPT construction industry (still it goes on), and made Contractors to give bribes to Engineers to get the Advance Payment approved.
Paskaralingam is personally responsible for all the corruption in the construction industry and he evenhandedly demolish the construction industry to collect Funds for the LTTE.
Paskaralingams name never surfaced at the death of Premadsa as they didn’t want to connt him to the LTTE as they planned some more work for him in SL in time to come.If you check what Paska did while working as the Adviser for Ranil in 2000/2002 you can unearth many things he did. If you are unable to do so I can write one by one what he was trying to do to the Sri Lankan economy.
There were 6 construction companies operated by the LTTE with Singaporeans as directors but married to Sr Lankan Tamil woman.
Keenan Nam was one of those companies. After I pass the information to then Secretary Balapatabendi of the President CBK they check on these companies and they were forcibly close one by one. Then Paska was not in the country.
My conclusion is Premadsa was killed to collect the funds stacked in Swiss Banks ( numbers were with Paska) and the treasury in Suchchiriya had only Rs 80 million. What happened to the balance 7 billion rupees?
/
shankar / June 24, 2014
“every thing stacked in a Swiss bank where the Bank account numbers were only known to Premadasa and this man”
Upasiri,however much i tell people that you can’t take the money and wealth and property with you when you leave this world,they will not listen.They think something is wrong with me when i use it up.
Common logic says enjoy this world while you can.
/