The wife of an Australian citizen who has apparently been abducted in Sri Lanka says the Sri Lankan government engineered her husband’s disappearance because of his political activity.
ABC News
Source: ABC News |
ASHLEY HALL: There are fears an Australian man missing in Sri Lanka has been kidnapped.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed a 42 year old from New South Wales disappeared last week and that there are reports he was abducted.
Kumar Gunaratnam was set to launch a political party today.
His wife claims armed men stormed a house in a town near Colombo and took him away.
Eleanor Bell reports.
ELEANOR BELL: Kumar Gunaratnam’s family says he was taken from house in a town near Colombo two days ago by gunmen.
His wife Dr Champa Somaratna says her husband is now being held illegally by Sri Lankan military police.
CHAMPA SOMARATNA: He was arrested early in the morning like half past seven, and about 25 armed people entered the house. And they threatened the neighbours and asked them to switch off the light and close the windows and doors. And they entered the house and they vandalised whole house and the car he was travelling.
And then they were abducted – they abducted him forcefully. There has all been evidence about that inside the house.
ELEANOR BELL: Mr Gunaratnam is an engineer and a dual citizen of Australia and Sri Lanka. But his wife believes it’s his political activities that have led to his abduction.
She says that while he is a Tamil he is not affiliated with the Tamil Tigers and was set to announce a new left-wing party in Sri Lanka today.
Another political activist from the party is also missing.
CHAMPA SOMARATNA: Recently they, because of the unlawful abductions and the human rights violations in Lanka, they’re going to form a new party, the Socialist Party, it’s a frontline socialist party, they’re going to launch it today.
So he is one of the leaders in that party. He is a main political activist in that party. So I think this has a real connection with that.
ELEANOR BELL: And it’s not the first time the family has been detained.
His mother VR Gunaratnam says she had another son taken by Sri Lanka’s authorities 23 years ago.
VR GUNARATNAM: On the 6th, my son Premkumar Gunaratnam, was abducted by some unknown persons and we don’t know where he is. I know his life is in danger.
I have lost another son earlier, Ranjitham Gunaratnam, and he was also abducted in the same way and until his death I had never seen him.
So I’m scared this fate would happen to my younger son, the only son I have.
ELEANOR BELL: A spokeswoman for Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says the Australian High Commissioner in Colombo has spoken to senior Sri Lankan government officials to request their help to find him.
Consular officers in Canberra are in contact with the man’s family in Australia.
The Sri Lankan government says it has no knowledge of the arrest.
ASHLEY HALL: Eleanor Bell.
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httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTYtTIskGT4&feature=youtu.be
GG Ponnambalam / April 9, 2012
How can an Australian form a new Party in Sri Lanka? He is not Sri Lankan and if he is Sri Lankan why is the Australian Government asking the Sri Lankan Government questions? It is their problem. Is the man wanted for murder and the abduction of 1988 1989? Or is he an LTTE cadre comimg here to revive that LTTE? Ask the right questions from the Brainless Australian Broad
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Dayarathna - Kaluthara / April 9, 2012
Hello, How can an American citizen is holding Defence Secretary position and abducting and killing Sri Lankan citizens???
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kamal nissanka / April 9, 2012
Forget Australian citizen. What is your opinion on Ms Dimuthu Attygalle.
Please G.G .Ponnambalam and Dayarathne answer?
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Max Silva / April 9, 2012
May be the duo had eloped and holed up somewhere in a love shack!
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Max Silva / April 9, 2012
Great scoop.”Australian man abducted in Srilanka”.Was this Australian man born in Australia?What was an Australian man doing in Srilanka?It is claimed that he was involved in politics.Does it mean that this Australian man was planning to run for the presidency in Srilanka?In that case i myself would like to have a shot at the premiership of Australia.
I haven’t heard of an Australian going by the name of Kumar Gunarathnam.But i have heard of one Kumar Gunarathnam alias Kumar Mahathaya,who was involved in murder,robbery and bomb manufacturing during 88/90.Kumar Mahathaya was credited with blowing up a few IPKF trucks carrying Indian soldiers and killing as many.In fact he and his brother had been central committee members of the terror outfit DJV during 88/90 period.
The main occupation of central committee members of the DJV was ordering the killings of thousands of politicians,government officials,Buddhist monks,artists and civilians.They were also involved in planning and executing armed robbery.Among their victims were UNP chairmen Harsha and Nandalal,UNP MP Lionel Jayathileke,Ven KOtikawathe Sadhatissa,professor Stanley Wijesundara,Gladys Jayawardana,media personality Premakeerthi De Alwis,Film idol Vijaya Kumaranathunge and thousands of civilians.
If this Kumar Mahathaya is the said Australian,then there’s no doubt that he had arrived in the island to re activate his killing machine.According to informed sources,there are no records at the Airport on the arrival of someone going by the name of Kumar Gunarathnam.In that case if he had ever set foot in Srilanka,there’s no doubt that he had arrived on a forged passport.Why?To carry out illegal activities in Srilanka such as murder,robbery,drug trafficking.In that case he could have had some dispute with his own partners in crime and been abducted.This is no ordinary Australian tourist but a Srilankan with a past record of murder and robbery.It is claimed that he had been living in Srilanka since September 2011.It will be interesting to know what he had been up to during this period.Then on the other hand he could have run away with a married woman and holed up somewhere.Also there’s a possibility that this is a staged managed abduction with the intention of earning a few thousand $$$.I hope that the Australian HC will provide with detailed info on this “Australian man”to the GOSL so that a proper investigation can be launched.
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Pothole / April 9, 2012
Hello Max, We know you are a first order bastard, anyway don’t make it public because soon you would be left without balls.
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Gaje / April 9, 2012
This guy is a JVP er not LTTE. WHY AN HOW CAN YOU IDIOTS JUSTIFY HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS BY LABELLING A TAMIL AS LTTE?
Douglas Devananda, Pillayan or Karuna are all LTTE? Now or then.
Every Tamil is not LTTE!! This is why there is an issue? You are justifying the LTTE ISSUE BY DOING so not justifying the abduction or killing! This is the attitude the will bring the LTTE back
What a short sighted comment
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sack / April 9, 2012
what ever his nationality is,he as a former militant at best (a terrorist actually) who sold his comrades to save his own skin.
And this whole abduction issue,no one OTHER THAN HIS “COMRADES” and FAMILY HAVE SEEN HIM, NOR HAD ANY KIND OF CONNECTION WITH HIM WHILE HE WAS IN THE COUNTRY.
No one other than his comrades knew who was in that house. No neighbor ever have seen him.
HE IS BASICALLY A GUY WHO WAS IS HIDING AND IS NOW “CLAIMED” TO BE MISSING. MIND YOU, HIS FORMER ALLIES (THE ORIGINAL JVP) WERE HIS ENEMIES ALSO.
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Basil Perera / April 10, 2012
Max Silva is Mervin Silva’s malli
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