10 November 2019 03:59 pm
Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne today said that to bring justice to enforced disappearances and abductions, there was a considerable need to investigate extra-judicial killings and the atrocities that were said to have taken place during the Rajapaksa regime.
At a media briefing held at the Democratic National Movement’s Head Office, Dr Senaratne said that the cases related to the murder of the prominent journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge and the abduction of Prageeth Ekneligoda should be investigated.
The Minister said a Cabinet paper would be drafted to commence the investigations into all extra-judicial killings and abductions while keeping the promises made to citizens in the previous presidential campaign in 2015.
He also brought to the media briefing a witness of an alleged white van terror Anthony Douglas Fernando and a victim Athula Sanjeewa Madanayaka, who had charged that a powerful person in the previous government was responsible for alleged misdeeds.
Fernando complained about abductions which were said to have been carried out with the knowledge of some personnel attached to Sri Lankan Police and Army.
Fernando admitted that he worked as a driver and had a hand in ‘white van abductions’.
Madanayaka, a taxi driver by profession, acknowledged that he was a part of transporting gold and money said to have belonged to LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.
He said that he transported jewellery and foreign money to Colombo from Jaffna, but there have been no records of the gold or the money. Madanayaka said late he was falsely charged with possession of a gun and three bullets and was arrested in October 2013 under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. He also presented the relevant documents to ensure the credibility of his case to the media for further inquiry. (Nishantha Hewage and Dinali Wijayasooriya)
Pix by Kushan Pathiraja