Oluwatada wedune (Hit the head) said the President

By R Jayadevan

(January 20, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) The grieving wife and co-journalist of the murdered Editor-in-Chief Lasantha Wickramatunga has published an article (19/1/2009) in the very same newspaper touching on some compelling issues on the death of her husband and the sham investigations currently undertaken to prevaricate justice on the murder. The article ‘Murder most foul and the government running scared’ deals with very serious issues. Whether it will shake the conscience of the government is not a difficult science for even the beggars in the streets of Colombo to understand.

The investigative article touches on the attributes involving the President and the investigation process undertaken by the police. The writer‘s bold comment that the government is ‘Drunk with power and buoyed up by a wave of optimism over the war, Lasantha's murderers - whoever they maybe - could take false comfort in the knowledge that the current military successes could be effectively used to soften the impact of such an outrageous and high profile assassination’ loudly speaks about the indifference of the government.

The article reveals an important comment made by the President soon after the murderous attack on Lasantha. The President had apparently received a call from someone while he was in a meeting at the Temple Trees with some trade association members. The writer states: ‘While the Coconut Product Association presentation was being made by its representatives Rajapakse was to get a phone call. He would listen attentively interjecting only once to say 'oluwatada wedune' before terminating the call’. Oluwatede Wedune means ‘hit the head’. According to the article, the President was not upset that his long cherished friend Lasantha was attacked but continued with his meeting in an upbeat mood.

The article raises some forceful information exposing the President, his allies in the government and the police service. Extracts from the article reveals all these clearly:

‘Hardly any government minister save for a smattering of those UNP crossers over, felt it politically expedient to pay their last respects to a man who had stood up for the rights of all during his rich life.

‘Yes. Lasantha's funeral was not attended by the entire government despite many of its members including President Rajapakse admittedly being closely associated with him.

‘We know that the windows of both the drivers' side and the passenger side had been smashed. We know that a witness had allegedly seen one of the assailants on the passenger side of the car pulling out a weapon of sorts - likely a heavy metal pole wrapped in a newspaper and smashing it into the head of Lasantha.

‘From the injury on the skull medical sources who do not wish to be named say the metal pole may have had at its lethal end two sharp points driven into it. Lasantha also suffered a base of skull fracture due to pressure from within.

‘Police sources say that two noises were heard during the attack but they did not sound like gunshots. Police sources so far allegedly claim that spent cartridges have not been found.

‘However these crack local police teams so far have said they have no leads in either investigation, but were analysing fingerprints found at the two scenes. DIG Prasanna Nanayakkara is in charge of two teams the government says is working on the case.

‘Reliable sources said the authorities had also called for the files of Richard de Zoysa and other journalists killed during the UNP era to use in a political debate over the killing of Lasantha rather than focus on bringing the culprits to book.

Under the heading ‘Public concern’ it is revealed:

‘And it is this response by the government that gives rise to public concern regarding the objectivity of the government when conducting investigations into Lasantha's death.

‘Many steps that even to a layman should perhaps have been taken seem to have not. Although the types of motorcycles the assassins used have been identified by witnesses no public appeal has been made to establish their whereabouts. Though there is reason to believe that the nature of the murder weapon is known no description of it has yet been published calling for information from the public who may know who possessed or manufactured such a weapon.

‘These are matters that need to be clarified even as it is important to see that the investigation into Lasantha's murder does not in any way follow in the path of the investigation into the murder on New Guinean Rugby Player Joel Pera.

‘It is vital that the government for its own survival - whether it is a fair perception or otherwise - is not seen to be embarking on both a cover up and a campaign to confuse the evidence so as to secure an acquittal even if the murderers are eventually apprehended.

‘And if Lasantha lay bleeding on a hospital table January 8 morning the government was busy trying to hush it up. Minister Dulles Alahapperuma was to call up some media houses and advise them to lie low on the issue. That evening on the Rathu Ira programme UNP MP Jayalath Jayawardena, a guest on the show was asked by one of the producers to not touch on the slaying of Lasantha Wickrematunge but to stick to the agreed subject of provincial council elections.

‘The main evening news bulletin of the government owned Independent Television Network made no mention of the killing of Lasantha on Thursday night even though it was obviously the top story of the day. The other state media barely made mention of it merely using it as a filler at best.

‘With national and international support pouring in for the Editor the government now resorted to desperate damage control. President Rajapakse on hearing the Editors were planning to carry a common lead story on the assassination was to even call the Sunday Times Chairman Ranjith Wijewardena on the matter to have it stopped.’

It is strange that the police have not found any clues on the murder yet. The heavy security fortification of Colombo to prevent the LTTE from carrying out attacks has failed to capture the murderers. In such a small city of Colombo, it is strange the police are still unable to find at least one motorcycle involved in the murder. Where are the killers? Are they being well protected within the security componds or have they found safe passage via Katunayake Airport using diplomatic passports?

A Colombo resident responding to the Sunday Leader article said in anonymity that: ‘the government and the LTTE are flip sides of the same coin and the time has come to arrest the impunity that is bestowed on these state criminals soon’. - Sri Lanka Guardian