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All’s forgotten after saying ‘sorry’ over dinner
By Chris Kamalendran
Minister Kabeer Hashim's friends and relatives who were assaulted allegedly by the sons' of Minister S.B.Dissanayake and Mahinda Wijesekara have withdrawn the complaint lodged about the incident at the Kollupitiya police station apparently due to political pressure. This is despite one of the injured being flown overseas for treatment and the other still being in hospital unable to talk.

The Sunday Times learns that the families of the victims and the wives of the two ministers accompanied by their children met over a dinner at the residence of one of the victims where the ministers' sons had apologised. The complaint about the assault had been withdrawn, but a case against the two sons of Minister Dissanayake and the son of Minister Wijesekara for damage of public property is still under consideration.

The CID was directed to take over the investigations amidst attempts by the local police to allegedly cover up the case. Heavy political pressure had been reportedly used on the relatives of Minister Hashim to get the relatives to withdraw the complaint lodged by the victims after they were assaulted with Baseball bats and cycle chains in the car park of a popular night club in Kollupitiya.

One of the family members of the Hashim family who was among those injured said they were withdrawing the complaint following political pressure. The Sunday Times visited Mahen Algama, who is still hospitalised at a private hospital in Colombo. Using gestures he indicated he was not in a position to speak. Some of his teeth had been broken in the incident.

A bystander who had witnessed the incident said he did not wish to comment on the incident. The other injured person, Fazil Hussain, the brother-in-law of Minister Hashim has been flown to Singapore for further treatment. In the process of the attack one of the official vehicles of the Ministry of Tertiary Education was also damaged. Mr. Hussain is a Public Relations officer at the Ministry.

Police to press charges against Ministers' sons
The CID will pursue charges against the sons of Ministers S.B. Dissanayake and Mahinda Wijesekara for allegedly damaging state property when the case against them is taken up before the Fort Magistrate's Court.

CID sources said the charges against them had not been brought up when they were produced in courts on Friday as the report about estimated damages to the vehicle belonging to the Ministry of Tertiary Education, reportedly used by the Co-ordinating Secretary to the Minister had not been ready.

The case has been fixed for March 27. Fort Magistrate and Additional District Judge, Sarath C. Karunaratne said bail was being granted as the report of the damages had not been forwarded. Earlier the CID had sent a team to the homes of the two ministers in search of their sons and three other suspects.

Soon after the CID team was sent Minister Wijesekara himself accompanied his son and five others to the CID office where statements were recorded and they were finger printed.

Let’s have better behaviour
Colombo Fort Magistrate and Additional District Judge, Sarath C. Karunaratne on Friday called for proper behaviour from the sons of the two ministers. The Magistrate addressing Minister Wijesekara who was present in courts said that it would be good if the children are advised to behave better.

The Magistrate made this observation after Minister Wijesekara’s son Kanchana Wijesekara and Minister Dissanayake's sons' Tharaka Dissanayake and Narada Bandara Dissanayake were taken to CID headquarters and then produced in courts.

They were released on Rs. 5,000 personal bail each. The other suspects were Harshamanna Panditharatne, Supun Sathaya Weerakoone and Anjana Nawaratne. They were produced in connection with the damage caused to a vehicle and the loss of a mobile phone.

The complaint had been lodged by Naushad Juanideen and Mohamed Hussain. The court was told that the two parties were friends, that they had met earlier to amicably settle the dispute out of courts.

The court was informed that a full report about the attack had been sought. The Magistrate noted that it was not necessary for the police to carry on with the investigation as the parties had informed the court of an amicable settlement and also informed the police accordingly.

Lawyers Anil Silva, Tirantha Walaliyadda, Jayantha Dias Nanayakkara, Shiraz Noordeen, Sarath Kongahage, J de Alwis and Shiyamali Karunatillake appeared for the accused while lawyers Prasanna Weerasekara and Kinsly Hettiarachchi appeared on behalf of the complainants.

Lucien waits for Mahinda and Police
A Cabinet Minister and the Police have failed to turn up at a Mediation Board meeting to reach an amicable settlement on the Minister's alleged death threat on a journalist.

Mr. Lucien Rajakarunanayake, a former Lake House Chairman, had complained that Minister Mahinda Wijesekera had threatened him with death during an incident at a five star hotel in Colombo in May last year.

Mr. Rajakarunanayake told The Sunday Times that he had attended the Mediation Board meetings on two different occasions, the last being on January 10, but neither the Minister nor the police were present.

The alleged death-threat had been made on May 30, 2003 at the Hilton over an article Mr. Rajakarunanayake had written in which he had been mentioned as "Kaluwara Mahinda".

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