Lasantha Was Stabbed Thrice Using A Sharp Instrument
by Nirmala Kannangara
- The latest JMO report has exposed that Wickrematunge had been stabbed thrice on the right side of his head with a sharp instrument
- 0Gotabhaya Rajapaksa had supervised all security and intelligence operations in and around Colombo from the Ministry of Defence through a separate chain of command
- Maj. Gen. Hendawitharana refuted the allegations and said that he totally rejects what Field Marshal Fonseka told at the live TV show
It has now been revealed that the Founding Editor of The Sunday Leader Lasantha Manilal Wickrematunge had been killed not by a bullet but by a sharp instrument. The latest JMO report has exposed that Wickrematunge had been stabbed thrice on the right side of his head with a sharp instrument before and after he fell on to the front passenger seat in his vehicle.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) meanwhile informed the Mt. Lavinia Magistrate early last week that it was a special group operating under the then Military Intelligence Chief Maj. Gen. Kapila Hendawitharana who killed Lasantha Wickrematunge and abducted Deputy Editor of The Nation newspaper Keith Noyahr and Upali Tennakoon.
Meanwhile, Filed Marshal Sarath Fonseka once again pointed the finger directly at the former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa on all murders that took place in and around Colombo during the former Regime.
In a live interview on TV last week, in an astonishing revelation, Field Marshal Fonseka reiterated his earlier claims and said how the then Defence Secretary wanted him to do ‘something’ to Senior Legal luminary J.C. Weliamuna since the Defence Secretary was annoyed with Weliamuna on a dispute over several Human Right issues he had taken up.
Separate chain of command
According to Fonseka, it was Gotabhaya Rajapaksa who had supervised all security and intelligence operations in and around Colombo from the Ministry of Defence through a separate chain of command headed by the former Chief of National Intelligence Maj. Gen. Kapila Hendawitharana. According to him, it is this group that was involved in assaults, murders and abductions against high profile people claiming that they were a threat to the national security.
Following Fonseka’s statement last week, questions have now been raised as to why the police have so far failed to record a statement from the Field Marshal and recommence the stalled investigations.
Fonseka further stated as to how the then Defence Secretary told him that it was Maj. Gen. Kapila Hendawitharana’s ‘boys’who hurled a bomb at Weliamuna’s residence. “Gotabhaya Rajapaksa once wanted me to do ‘something’ to Weliamuna.
As I did not know who this Weliamuna was I inquired who he was. Then I was told that he is a Human Rights lawyer. When I told him that neither I nor my soldiers can get involved in these attacks, Rajapaksa was quiet and never asked me again to attack any person. Within three days, I came to know that there was a bomb attack on Weliamuna’s residence and when I met the Defence Secretary later on, I asked whether he got the ‘job’ done to which his reply was “Hendawitharana’s boys did the attack’ ” Fonseka revealed.
According to Fonseka, it is no doubt that it was the same group that bombed former MP Tiran Alles’ resident as well.
“As Tiran was with me during the 2010 presidential election his residence too came under a bomb attack in the same manner as Weliamuna’s house was attacked. It is this same secret group that was behind all these attacks, murders and abductions. Although Gotabhaya Rajapaksa now claims that if there were secret squads, then it was the duty of the then Army Commander to take action against them. Had the squads operated within the Sri Lanka Army, I would have taken action but how could I take action against a squad that was operating directly under the Defence Secretary. If I had the authority to do so, then the first person arrested would have been the Defence Secretary,” Fonseka alleged.
Refutes allegations
However, Maj. Gen. Hendawitharana refuted the allegations and said that he totally rejects what Field Marshall Fonseka told at the live TV show and also to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) when he was questioned few weeks ago. “I am innocent and was not involved in any of these allegations. I don’t know why Field Marshall Fonseka is trying to attack me,” Hendawitharana said.
According to Hendavitharana, the overall intelligence and security in the country came directly under Army Commander Sarath Fonseka and there were no intelligence or security groups operating secretly under the Defence Secretary or by the Defence Ministry
Senior Lawyer J. C. Weliamuna when contacted by The Sunday Leader said that he knew that it was a ‘defence work’ and added that all his attempts to get the matter investigated came to a standstill within few days. “The bomb attack at my residence in Kohuwela took place on September 27, 2008 and despite of having a military check point at the turn to my house, this attack took place and the criminals were able to go scot free.
All my attempts to get this incident investigated failed as the defence circle at that time did not allow the investigation to proceed. Police officers from several police stations in and around Colombo and also the CID visited the scene of crime but nothing happened beyond the initial stage.
I was also supposed to be the first in the hit list but nothing was done to give us protection,” Weliamuna said. When asked whether he is now ready to make a request to the police to start a fresh probe into the bomb attack following Filed Marshall’s startling revelation, Weliamuna said that there is no necessity to make any request but it is up to the Police Department to act on what the former Army Commander said live on TV. “If there is clear evidence, the police have to re-commence the stalled investigations,” Weliamuna stressed.
The former army commander when contacted by this newspaper soon after he was interrogated by the CID to find out whether he was involved in Wickrematunge’s murder, stressed that he had never had any dealings or falling out with Wickrematunge, despite the allegations leveled against him by key figures in the former regime.
Gotabhaya chaired Meetings
“Senior DIG Anura Senanayake, DIG Vass Gunawardena, DIG Keerthi Gajanayake, Major General Kapila Hendawitharana and many more were members of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s ‘famous’ clique. Although military intelligence directly came under me, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa handled the Colombo operations and intelligence unofficially from the Defence Ministry. Rajapaksa and his henchmen were engaged in various unscrupulous activities including the white van culture,” Fonseka charged.
However confirming what Fonseka elaborated former Senior DIG Nimal Lewke told this newspaper few weeks ago that he was a member of the National Security Council during 2008 and 2009, and added that every Thursday, special security and intelligence meeting for the Western Province was held at the Ministry of Defence, and that the meeting was chaired by none other than Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
“The then Defence Secretary took lot of interest in these Western Province intelligence meetings. I too attended these meetings and the present head of the CID, Senior DIG Ravi Senaratne, who was then head of the Western Province intelligence, also attended these meetings with us,” Lewke claimed.
Now the CID is slowly but steadily unfolding the secrets behind all these assassinations, abductions and assaults on Lasantha Wickrematunge, Keith Noyahr, Upali Tennakoon, Pradeep Ekneligoda and Wasim Thajudeen. Since the latest autopsy report of Wickrematunge by the Colombo Chief JMO Dr. Ajith Tennakoon confirms the death had occurred not due to gunshot injuries but to injuries sustained from a sharp object on the right side of the head, questions have been raised as to why the CID is taking time to arrest the former JMO Colombo South Teaching Hospital Dr. K. Sunil Kumara who gave a misleading verdict that the cause of death was due to craniocerebral injuries following a discharge of firearms.
Meanwhile highly reliable sources from a defence authority who wished to remain anonymous said that the time is now up to arrest the former JMO of the Colombo South Teaching Hospital Dr. Sunil Kumara for misleading the investigations and also for removing Wickrematunge’s file from the Kalubowila hospital when he went on retirement to impede any future investigation.
“On whose advice did Dr. Sunil Kumara give such a misleading autopsy report when there was neither entry nor exit bullet wounds on Wickrematunge’s body? Without taking an X-ray, how could Dr. Kumara come to a conclusion that Wickrematunge died of gunshot injuries.
Had he ever visited the scene of crime and spoken to the people to find out whether they heard any gun firing. Had he checked the vehicle the deceased was driving and the scene of the crime whether there were cartridges? It was the same with Wasim Thajudeen’s autopsy report as well. Although the former Colombo Chief JMO Dr. Ananda Samarasekera gave a misleading report to show that the rugby player died due to his car catching fire , Dr. Ajith Tennakoon confirmed that Thajudeen had been killed,” sources said.
All attempts to contact Gotabhaya Rajapaksa failed. A message was left with his Security Officer Capt. Harishchandra and also a text message was sent to Rajapaksa seeking a comment but did not respond till the paper went to press.