-Tennekoons identify culprit Udalagama - Lasantha’s killer!
(Lanka-e-News - 28.Aug.2016, 6.15 AM) Former Rivira editor Upali Tennekoon and his wife Friday(26) identified the barbaric scoundrel who seven years ago launched a most brutal attack on them, thereby identifying also the root cause of the cruel and murderous attacks that were unrelentingly directed against the media during the entire era of the brutal ,corrupt and lawless Medamulana Rajapakse nefarious reign , and which attacks and murders were carefully shielded and suppressed by the same lawless nefarious reign.
This assailant is none other than the suspect in the cold blooded day light murder of Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickremetunge. This ruthless ‘manimal’ is sergeant major Premananda Udalagama of the army intelligence division.
When the identification parade was conducted Friday (26) before the Gampaha acting magistrate Malith Herath , the Tennekoon couple identified this assailant without any difficulty whatsoever.
It is worthy of note that under the caption ‘We must save the Army boys’ -Gampaha notorious twilight judge attempting to rescue army criminals ……’ on the 24 th , Lanka e news reported the wicked conspiracy hatched by Kaveendra the Gampaha chief magistrate to dilly dally with the identification parade with a view to save Udalagama . It was only after our report this conspiracy ebbed away , and the parade was held.
Tennekoon’s wife Dhammika Malkanthi stated , when her husband was being attacked , she fell at the feet of the suspect who was identified today , and worshipped him not to assault . Yet this brutal ‘manimal’ armed with clubs ruthlessly and unheedingly continued with the assault . This episode cannot be forgotten by her any day , not 7 years even if 14 years have elapsed, she added.
The assault on Upali Tennekooon and his wife was launched on 2009-01-23 morning at Imbulgoda. When Tennekoon couple just got on to the road from their home on the motorcycle , this suspect Udalagama and his group have suddenly pounced on them and attacked the glass of the motor cycle with rods , and had put the couple down .Thereafter they had fiercely attacked Tennekoon with clubs. When Malkanthi was trying to shield her husband , she too was attacked . When those in the vicinity started gathering hearing her screams , Udalagama and his group had fled away on their motor bikes.
Tennekoons were attacked two weeks after the cold cruel murder of Lasantha in broad daylight. Lasantha was murdered on 2009-01-08 and Tennekoon was attacked on 2009-01-23. At that time Tennekoon and Rivira were staunch supporters of Mahinda Rajapakse government .
Following the attack on Tennekoon , Mahinda Rajapakse who was the president at that time as was customary met with the media chiefs at Temple trees on 27 th January 2009 . At that meeting Keheliya Rambukwella and Rajitha Senaratne were with him.
Mahinda Rajapakse speaking on the occasion shed crocodile tears of which he had never been short of . Mahinda said the Rivira newspaper belongs to a relative of his , and that Institution carried on its affairs in a manner which did not harm the police or the forces, and its editor Tennekoon was extremely close to him. Hence the assault launched on Tennekoon is tantamount to assaulting him( Mahinda) , Lanka e news reported then what Mahinda said . Leaving out Keheliya Rambukwella, today Rajitha and the other media chiefs would testify to this .
Now it is confirmed those responsible for both crimes is the same party .Sergeant Major Udalagama of the army intelligence division has been identified as the culprit by Tennekoons as well as by the other group of the victim Lasantha at the two separate identification parades . At that time the chief of the commanding forces was none other than Machiavellian Mahinda Rajapakse , and the defense secretary was his own younger brother Gotabaya Rajapakse . Hence, otherwise than the contract of the Rajapakses , Udalagama the hired criminal could not have had another private contract to attack Tennekoon as well as murder Lasantha. Surely Udalagama could not have harbored personal grudges against them or could have had his own private contract to carry out such crimes.
Rajapakses arranged the attack on Tennekoon two weeks after the cold blooded murder of Lasantha Wickremetunge for one simple reason: when the whole world was pointing an accusing finger at Rajapakses over Lasantha’s murder, it was aimed to distort the true picture and to counter the allegations mounted against the Rajapakses. They wanted to repudiate those accusations by saying, “don’t you see ,even our own ‘people’ are falling victims to attacks,” and to paint the picture some group unknown to Rajapakses are committing these crimes.
Today , when the cat is out of the bag and it is crystal clear who was behind the attack launched on Tennekoon employing a stooge of the Intelligence division , the hypocrisy , the brutality and bestiality of Rajapakses stand exposed. Need we furnish further proof to establish what cruel , bestial ‘manimals’ are these Rajapakses who shed crocodile tears ?
In order to make the media coolies who are now bootlicking and kowtowing to the Rajapakses understand the difference between the media suppression and repression that prevailed during the then Rajapakse reign , and the media freedom under the present government of good governance , let us furnish more evidence...
It was on the same day Tennekoon was attacked , Lanka e news Editor Sandaruwan Senadheera was summoned to the 4 th floor of the CID and questioned for 6 hours. That was on 2009-01-23. It was a sequel to a complaint made to the CID by Gotabaya Rajapakse. It was planned to detain the editor for three months , but that at the last minute was changed.
On 2009-01-24 , that is the day following the attack launched on Tennekoon , and the LeN editor was questioned for 6 hours , the Amnesty International issued a communiqué as follows :
''The Sri Lanka government in regard to protection and safety of the media is making only an insignificant contribution. The Government is directly responsible to bring the individuals who are committing murders and persecuting journalists, before the law.
The officer of the CID special division yesterday interrogated Sandaruwan for 6 hours , and has requested the latter to come to the CID for further questioning next week. This interrogation is following the attack launched on Rivira Editor Tennnekoon and his wife , and gunning down of Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickremetunge at the beginning of the same month.
Since the beginning of 2006 until now , 14 journalists had been murdered . Another group is being detained without cases being filed , while some others who were in the custody of the security divisions had gone missing or had been persecuted. Another about 20 journalists who faced murder threats have fled the country.''
Yolanda Foster – Amnesty International
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by (2016-08-28 01:05:55)
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I hope... Fingers crossed that they are convicted soon... LeN...
Thank you for the wonderful work you have been doing for years... Simply awesome...
-- by Aku on 2016-08-28
RECORDED LIST OF KILLINGS OF JOURNALISTS AND MEDIA WORKERS
APRIL 2004 – MARCH 2009
This is an oft repeated under Comments in various sites:
Lest we forget,
LIST OF KILLINGS OF JOURNALISTS AND MEDIA WORKERS:
2004
1.Aiyathurai A. Nadesan – Journalist / 31 May
2. Kandaswamy Aiyer Balanadaraj – Writer / 16 August
3. Lanka Jayasundera – Photo journalist / 11 December 2005
4.Dharmaratnam Sivaram – Editor / 28 April
5. Kannamuttu Arsakumar – Media worker/ 29 June
6. Relangee Selvarajah – Journalist / 12 August
7. D. Selvaratnam – Media worker/ 29 August
8. Yogakumar Krishnapillai – Media Worker / 30 September
9. L. M. Faleel (Netpittimunai Faleel) – Writer / 02 December
10. K. Navaratnam – Media worker / 22 December 2006
11.Subramaniam Suhirtharajan – Journalist / 24 January
12. S. T. Gananathan – Patron, Tamil News and Information Centre / 01 February
13. Bastian George Sagayathas – Media worker / 03 May
14. Rajaratnam Ranjith Kumar – Media worker / 03 May
15. Sampath Lakmal de Silva – Journalist / 02 July – killed by Army Intelligence
16. Mariadasan Manojanraj – Media worker / 01 August
17. Pathmanathan Vismananthan – Singer and musician / 02 August
18. Sathasivam Baskaran – Media worker / 15 August
19. Sinnathamby Sivamaharajah – Media owner / 20 August 2007
20.. Raveendran – Media worker / 12 February
21. Subramaniam Ramachandran – Media personnel / 15 February
22. Chandrabose Suthakar – Journalist / 16 April
23. Selvarasah Rajeevarman – Journalist / 29 April
24. Sahadevan Neelakshan – Journalist / 01 August
25. Anthonypillai Sherin Siththiranjan – Media worker / 05 November
26. Vadivel Nimalarajah – Media worker / 17 November
27. Isaivizhi Chempian (Subhajini) – Media worker / 27 November
28. Suresh Limbiyo – Media Worker / 27 November
29. T.Tharmalingam – Media Worker / 27 November 2008
30.Paranirupesingham Devakumar – Journalist / 28 May
31. Rasmi Mohamad – Journalist / 06 October 2009
32.Lasantha Wickrematunga – Editor / 08 January
33. Punniyamurthy Sathyamurthy – Journalist / 12 February
34. Sasi Mathan – Media worker / 06 March
Permalink
- See more at:
http://blogs.channel4.com/miller-on-foreign-affairs/open-letter-sri-lankan-journalists/524#sthash.tYkkRfgD.dpuf
19 Journalists Killed in Sri Lanka/ Source: Tamil H.R. ( Paris)
Shoba, O'liveechchu May 18 or 19, in Mullivaikkal, Sri Lanka
Puniyamoorthy Sathiyamoorthy, freelance February 12, 2009, in Mullaitheevu
district, Sri Lanka
Lasantha Wickramatunga, The Sunday Leader January 8, 2009, in an area outside
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Rashmi Mohamed, SirasaTV October 6, 2008, in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
Paranirupasingham Devakumar, News 1st May 28, 2008, in Jaffna, Sri Lanka
Suresh Linbiyo, Voice of Tigers November 27, 2007, in Kilinochchi, Sri Lanka
T. Tharmalingam, Voice of Tigers November 27, 2007, in Kilinochchi, Sri Lanka
Isaivizhi Chempiyan, Voice of Tigers November 27, 2007, in Kilinochchi, Sri Lanka
Selvarajah Rajeewarnam, Uthayan April 29, 2007, in Jaffna, Sri Lanka
Subash Chandraboas, Nilam April 16, 2007, in an area near Vavuniya,Sri Lanka
Subramaniyam Sugitharajah, Sudar Oli August 12, 2005, in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Dharmeratnam Sivaram, TamilNet and Daily Mirror April 29, 2005, in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Lanka Jayasundara, Wijeya Publications December 11, 2004, in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Bala Nadarajah Iyer, Thinamurasu and Thinakaran August 16, 2004, in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Aiyathurai Nadesan, Virakesari May 31, 2004, in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka
Mylvaganam Nimalarajan, BBC, Virakesari, Ravaya October 19, 2000, in Jaffna, Sri Lanka
Anura Priyantha,Independent Television Network December 18, 1999, in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Indika Pathinivasan, Maharaja Television Network December 18, 1999, in Colombo, Sri Lanka
6 Journalists Killed in Sri Lanka/Motive Unconfirmed
http://www.cpj.org/killed/terminology.php
Sahadevan Nilakshan, Chaalaram August 1, 2007, in Jaffna, Sri Lanka
Sinnathamby Sivamaharajah, Namathu Eelanadu August 20, 2006, in Jaffna, Sri Lanka
Sampath Lakmal, Sathdina July 1, 2006, in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Vasthian Anthony Mariyadas, Freelancer December 31, 1999, in Vavuniya, Sri Lanka
Atputharajah Nadarajah, Thinamurusu November 2, 1999, in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Rohana Kumara, Satana September 7, 1999, in Colombo, Sri Lanka
http://www.cpj.org/killed/terminology.php
-- by punchinilame on 2016-08-28
