{"id":47505,"date":"2012-07-08T16:38:27","date_gmt":"2012-07-08T16:38:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=47505"},"modified":"2012-07-22T17:20:43","modified_gmt":"2012-07-22T17:20:43","slug":"ammi-met-the-president-and-told-him-hirunika","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/ammi-met-the-president-and-told-him-hirunika\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Ammi Met The President And Told Him’ – Hirunika"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Namini Wijedasa<\/a>\u00a0–<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hirunika: did she \u2018sell-out\u2019 on the statue?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0Won\u2019t cave in even if mother does<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Hirunika Premachandra, the daughter of assassinated SLFP politician Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra<\/a><\/span>, is unhappy that her mother recently accepted a coordinating secretary position from President Mahinda Rajapaksa<\/a><\/span> but said she understands her reasons for it.
\nThe young law student and aspiring politician also said she would not join the government and has not accepted any money from the SLFP for the erection of her late father\u2019s statue. And she will continue to fight for justice in the killing of Bharatha Lakshman and three others in October 2011.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Hirunika with her lawyer<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cOur official residence in Summit Flats and the vehicle we use was under my father\u2019s name, allocated to the position he held as presidential advisor,\u201d Hirunika said, in an interview last week. \u201cUnder normal procedure, we would have had to vacate the house and to return the vehicle three months after he died. But our own house in Kolonnawa is not suitable for us to move into.\u201d
\nHirunika said she advised her mother, Sumana Premachandra, to borrow money from her Canada-based cousins to rent out another space. This would have enabled them to move out of Summit Flats but Sumana was worried about security, particularly for her daughter.\u00a0 She felt the official residence was in a good, safe environment.
\n\u201cSo ammi met the president and told him,\u201d Hirunika recounted. \u201cThe president said we would have to move out of the house because he couldn\u2019t extend the facilities after three months. She said, \u2018What should I do\u2019. And he said, \u2018Ok, I can give you a coordinating secretary position so that you keep the house and vehicle. This is what ammi did.\u201d<\/a><\/span>
\nThere have been rumours of disagreements between Hirunika and her mother. \u201cWhenever there is an argument in this house, it\u2019s on this,\u201d she admitted.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t approve of it at all. I said that the only reason I can\u2019t speak out is that we are living in a government flat. If there are rumours of conflict, this is the conflict.\u201d
\nBut, she said, she loved her mother. \u201cAs a mother, what she did is right,\u201d she reflected. \u201cShe wanted to save the house and vehicle. Thaththi had wanted to demolish the Kolonnawa house after the local government election saying when I get married I can\u2019t go out of a house like that. He had applied for loans but suddenly this thing happened and we couldn\u2019t do anything. That\u2019s the only reason we are here (official residence).\u201d<\/p>\n

Nothing left to lose<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>In any case, her mother was an independent person and she could not interfere in her decisions, Hirunika said. \u201cAnd she cannot interfere in my decisions, or with whatever I speak,\u201d she continued. \u201cIf I see injustice, I will fight against it<\/a><\/span>. She, on the other hand, always says, \u2018You are a girl and someone will throw acid at your face or kill you. But I always say that when I have lost the most important person in my life, I\u2019m not scared of anything.\u201d
\nOn June 18, Hirunika was seen chatting closely with parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa at a function to lay the foundation stone for a statue of her late father. Since she had been openly critical of the government since Bharatha Lakshman\u2019s death, she was immediately labelled a turncoat. There was speculation that she would now do politics through the ruling party and that she had struck a \u201cdeal\u201d with the government.
\nAsked what her conversation with Namal had been about, Hirunika replied: \u201cDefinitely not anything political. We met after a long time, so it was a casual conversation.\u201d \u201cThere is no political contract between me, the SLFP, the UNP, or anyone else,\u201d she maintained. \u201cI am still a member of the Mahajana Party.\u201d
\nSeveral members of the Rajapaksa family and the UPFA attended the ceremony. Hirunika said she and her mother invited all the members of parliament including Ranil Wickremesinghe, who didn\u2019t come but had sent his excuses. \u201cOnly a few came because it was held in the early morning on a week day,\u201d she said. \u201cMany ministers were also out of the country for a seminar.\u201d
\nDidn\u2019t she feel she was betraying her father\u2019s memory by welcoming members of a government she had held indirectly responsible for his death? \u201cThaththi was in the political arena for 30 years and in parliament for ten years,\u201d she replied. \u201cThey are all his friends. When I speak to them personally, they tell me, \u2018Duwa, whatever you are doing is right\u2019. Even Nimal Siripala said if it happened to his daughter he didn\u2019t know what she would do. But they all say, \u2018What you are doing is right but in this country you have to take the middle path\u2019. You can\u2019t be brutally honest and straightforward and go against the government. I said I\u2019m not going against the government.\u201d
\n\u201cBut I did say, especially to Nimal Siripala, that when you give nominations please first check the family background, how well educated they are, and whether they have at least passed A\/levels,\u201d she said. \u201cThese things are important. I told Namal as well. He didn\u2019t utter a word. He smiled.\u201d
\nHirunika insisted, too, that she \u201chad never accepted money from the SLFP\u201d- not to commission her father\u2019s statue, not for the new Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra Development Foundation. The statue is to be made in Thailand with money from a close relative and the late politician\u2019s friends.
\nAsked whether she was using the foundation – and its funds – to further her political career, Hirunika replied, \u201cThe foundation is something else and politics is something else. I\u2019m not sure when I will do politics (fully). At the moment, my focus is my father\u2019s case. If I join a political party or, as people say, the ruling party, it would be the most idiotic thing I could do.\u201d
\n\u201cPeople all over the world are watching this (case),\u201d she said, in explanation. \u201cIt was a daytime murder. If I contest a provincial council or any other election now, I think I will be out of focus. If I join the government or the UNP, JVP or whatever party, I won\u2019t have time to concentrate on the case. I will keep talking on behalf of the party and their politics, not on behalf of my father. I always say first the case, then election. If I get justice for my father and the three others killed, I can concentrate on my political career.\u201d
\nAbout her involvement in the Mahajana Party (MP), Hirunika said she attended meetings and gatherings but less often now because of exams. \u201cIt is not a big party and there is little they can do,\u201d she admitted. \u201cSometimes, they use my name in posters when they have meetings so that people will come to see me! Since it\u2019s not a big party, the main committee members are not that active at all. That is why it\u2019s not going anywhere.\u201d
\nShe said she had laid some conditions on her joining MP – for instane, that she would only contest an election if the party remained independent of the government – and hoped these would be honoured.<\/p>\n

Hirunika said former army commander Sarath Fonseka, who was recently released from prison, has not invited her to join him in politics. \u201cHe never did,\u201d she confirmed. \u201cBut as a former army commander and the main person of the war victory, I respect him because he has a backbone. I love that. In a country where\u00a0nobody has a backbone, he has.\u201d<\/p>\n

She loves a backbone<\/strong><\/p>\n

Asked about alleged threats to her life, Hirunika said she was informed through third parties of the danger. \u201cFor instance, a person got caught for drug peddling and was put into the same prison ward as the people who killed my father,\u201d she recounted. \u201cWhen he got bail, he told someone that he had heard these people saying that I\u2019m trouble and that they have to take me out of the picture. That person called me and told me to be careful.\u201d
\nA week ago, the government assigned two police officers to protect Hirunika but she said she was disappointed. They have received written instructions from the police department that they must only provide her security while she is at home. \u201cThey cannot travel with me,\u201d she said. \u201cI told the IGP there was no point because I go to Law College and out a lot. The IGP told me to write a letter to the defence secretary. You know that will never happen!\u201d
\nHirunika has been openly critical about the Rajapaksa regime, hitting out particularly at a breakdown of the rule of law. Was she foolish or brave? \u201cIf people think I\u2019m foolish just because I\u2019m trying to get justice in a country where \u2018justice\u2019 is just a word, then I\u2019m foolish,\u201d she reflected. \u201cIf people think I\u2019m brave for the same reason, then I think I\u2019m brave.\u201d In the end, however, her immediate concern was to get justice for her father and the others that died with him.<\/p>\n

Lakbima News<\/p>\n

Related posts;<\/p>\n

Hirunika To Enter Ruling Party Politics<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Hirunika Murder Plot: Bharatha Siblings Slam Rajapaksa Brothers<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Justice For Bharatha: Wife Appointed As A Coordinating Secretary To The President<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDuminda Silva is not my man, he is Gota\u2019s man\u201d MR said to Bharatha and Rathnasiri<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Video: Hirunika Premachandra condemned Gotabhaya<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Hirunika symbolise the aspiration and determination of the youngsters<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Bharatha Killing; Chief Investigator Transferred<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Bharatha Lakshman on Duminda Silva’s underworld connections \u2013 4 Sinhala voice records<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[…]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":41401,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,1,2375],"tags":[2905],"class_list":["post-47505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colombotelegraph","category-news","category-stories","tag-hirunika-premachandra-latest-news-photos"],"yoast_head":"\n'Ammi Met The President And Told Him' - Hirunika - Colombo Telegraph<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/ammi-met-the-president-and-told-him-hirunika\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"'Ammi Met The President And Told Him' - Hirunika - Colombo Telegraph\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[…]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/ammi-met-the-president-and-told-him-hirunika\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Colombo Telegraph\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-07-08T16:38:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2012-07-22T17:20:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/hirunika-person-lankapics.com_4.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"342\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"COLOMBO TELEGRAPH\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"COLOMBO TELEGRAPH\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/ammi-met-the-president-and-told-him-hirunika\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/ammi-met-the-president-and-told-him-hirunika\/\",\"name\":\"'Ammi Met The President And Told Him' - Hirunika - Colombo Telegraph\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/ammi-met-the-president-and-told-him-hirunika\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/ammi-met-the-president-and-told-him-hirunika\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/hirunika-person-lankapics.com_4.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-07-08T16:38:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2012-07-22T17:20:43+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9db3d0cfcfa59e1997e3c3524d454cb3\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/ammi-met-the-president-and-told-him-hirunika\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/ammi-met-the-president-and-told-him-hirunika\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/ammi-met-the-president-and-told-him-hirunika\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/hirunika-person-lankapics.com_4.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/hirunika-person-lankapics.com_4.jpg\",\"width\":\"440\",\"height\":\"342\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/ammi-met-the-president-and-told-him-hirunika\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"‘Ammi Met The President And Told Him’ – Hirunika\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/\",\"name\":\"Colombo Telegraph\",\"description\":\"In journalism truth is a process\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9db3d0cfcfa59e1997e3c3524d454cb3\",\"name\":\"COLOMBO TELEGRAPH\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/920b3181b0bf86b5c339ad9f0963a89f6a8b19c4b971e629987a021ba7a663df?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/920b3181b0bf86b5c339ad9f0963a89f6a8b19c4b971e629987a021ba7a663df?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"COLOMBO TELEGRAPH\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/author\/colombo_telegraph\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"'Ammi Met The President And Told Him' - Hirunika - Colombo Telegraph","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/ammi-met-the-president-and-told-him-hirunika\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"'Ammi Met The President And Told Him' - Hirunika - Colombo Telegraph","og_description":"[…]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/ammi-met-the-president-and-told-him-hirunika\/","og_site_name":"Colombo Telegraph","article_published_time":"2012-07-08T16:38:27+00:00","article_modified_time":"2012-07-22T17:20:43+00:00","og_image":[{"width":440,"height":342,"url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/hirunika-person-lankapics.com_4.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"COLOMBO TELEGRAPH","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"COLOMBO TELEGRAPH","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/ammi-met-the-president-and-told-him-hirunika\/","url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/ammi-met-the-president-and-told-him-hirunika\/","name":"'Ammi Met The President And Told Him' - Hirunika - Colombo Telegraph","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/ammi-met-the-president-and-told-him-hirunika\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/ammi-met-the-president-and-told-him-hirunika\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/hirunika-person-lankapics.com_4.jpg","datePublished":"2012-07-08T16:38:27+00:00","dateModified":"2012-07-22T17:20:43+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9db3d0cfcfa59e1997e3c3524d454cb3"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/ammi-met-the-president-and-told-him-hirunika\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/ammi-met-the-president-and-told-him-hirunika\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/ammi-met-the-president-and-told-him-hirunika\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/hirunika-person-lankapics.com_4.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/hirunika-person-lankapics.com_4.jpg","width":"440","height":"342"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/ammi-met-the-president-and-told-him-hirunika\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"‘Ammi Met The President And Told Him’ – Hirunika"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/","name":"Colombo Telegraph","description":"In journalism truth is a process","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9db3d0cfcfa59e1997e3c3524d454cb3","name":"COLOMBO TELEGRAPH","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/920b3181b0bf86b5c339ad9f0963a89f6a8b19c4b971e629987a021ba7a663df?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/920b3181b0bf86b5c339ad9f0963a89f6a8b19c4b971e629987a021ba7a663df?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"COLOMBO TELEGRAPH"},"url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/author\/colombo_telegraph\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/hirunika-person-lankapics.com_4.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47505"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47505\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49171,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47505\/revisions\/49171"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}