![[Image]](p1main.jpg) Practising under police guard: Papua New Guinea ruggerite Gidinban Raka, an eyewitness in the Joel Pera killing, has been given police protection in view of apparent threats to his life. He is seen here under police protection at Havelock Park. Pix by Lakshman Gunatilleke |
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The sensational casino slaying of Papua New Guinea rugby star Joel Pera is still cloaked in mystery, while the opposition is demanding an identification parade and a casino shareholder has filed a revealing fundamental rights petition alleging illegal arrest and detention.
As top CID sleuths took over the probe on the May Day slaying outside the Carlton Club in Kollupitiya and questioned more than 50 people including a female vocalist, opposition MPs said reports that Deputy Defence Minister Anuruddha Ratwatte’s son, Lohan, was present at the scene of the shooting made it imperative that an identification parade be held immediately.
But the the CID’s Senior Superintendent Bandula Wickramasinghe, who is heading the probe, told The Sunday Times yesterday they still had no proper evidence that Mr. Ratwatte was at the scene. “If any one had seen him there, they can come forward and give evidence,” he added.
Even though no major breakthrough has been made yet, the case has gone to the Supreme Court already with Carlton shareholder Don Parakrama Sri Lal claiming Rs. 1 million in compensation from the state for alleged illegal arrest and detention.
Mr. Sri Lal claims he was not in any way involved in the shooting incident, but he was detained at the Cinnamon Gardens police station for some 52 hours before being produced in the Fort Magistrates Court.
The Supreme Court has granted him leave to appeal and fixed the case for August 27.
In his detailed petition, Mr. Sri Lal makes disclosures regarding the dawn slaying that shocked the city, the sporting world and has even caused a backlash in Papua New Guinea (PNG) making Sri Lankans there PNG (Persona Non-Grata).
Mr. Sri Lal confirmed that Lohan Ratwatte was present at the time of the shooting.
In the petition, Mr. Sri Lal says he was counting the cash in the club when he heard about a shooting outside.
“I entrusted the cash to another person and went outside where I saw a crowd gathered near the gate.
“Among them was Bobby Silva, a club shareholder (who is now under arrest), two others named Neil and Kelum and a person whom I knew as Lohan Ratwatte along with his security guards. I asked them what had happened. Bobby told me Vanessa’s husband had been shot by an unknown person,” Mr. Sri Lal said.
Meanwhile, three casino security guards who are believed to have been eye witnesses to the shooting are said to be absconding and the CID is hunting for them. SSP Wickramasinghe said the CID would be recording the statements of some 15 more security guards who were said to be around the scene of the crime.
The CID is due to move an application in Court tomorrow to record the statement of a shareholder of the Carlton Club, Bobby Silva who is now in custody.
Meanwhile the body of Joel Pera was flown to his home country on Friday.
Joel Pera’s friend and fellow PNG ruggerite, Gidinban Raka who was also at the scene of the shooting has been given police protection apparently in view of threats to his life. Gidinban now practices at Havelock Park under police guard.
Amidst fears of some form of cover-up, SSP Wickramasinghe assured that the CID probe would be impartial.
India backed off from a joint Pakistan-the Maldives-Sri Lanka offensive opposing the setting up of sub-regional groups within SAARC and agreed to keep the South Asian association informed of whatever bi-lateral projects it had in mind with member states.
At yesterday’s Foreign Secretaries’ meeting of SAARC members a Sri Lankan formula was accepted whereby any two or more member states were committed to engage in joint projects outside SAARC, but SAARC had to be kept informed. There could also be no formal sub-groupings within SAARC, it was agreed.
The furore erupted when Pakistan, the Maldives and Sri Lanka opposed India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan which are also SAARC members from forming a sub regional group.
India maintained that the four-nation sub-regional council was only for specific joint projects, but later agreed to abide by the Sri Lanka formula.
SAARC Foreign Ministers also met yesterday and will continue deliberations tomorrow. India’s Commerce Minister Ramiah is representing Indian Prime Minister I. K. Gujral who is also a Foreign Minister.
The heads-of-govt. summit will begin on Monday.
Among the decisions taken by the officials was to refurbish the SAARC Secretariat at Katmandu and to have a SAARC Film Festival in Sri Lanka next year. (See earlier story on page 4)
Sri Lanka is seeking to jump the queue and host the next South Asian summit to coincide with the country’s 50th anniversary of independence from Britain, diplomats here said Friday.
The request of the government is to be taken up by the heads of the seven-nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) who will hold their ninth summit beginning Monday.
“We are actively floating the idea of Sri Lanka having the summit next year in Colombo,” a Sri Lankan diplomat here said. “We are talking to Nepal and Pakistan to get their concurrence.”
Under normal circumstances, the next summit should be hosted by Nepal and the one after that by Pakistan. Sri Lanka’s turn would be three years from now in the year 2000.
Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom takes the chairmanship of SAARC from Indian Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral at Monday’s summit.
In 1990, Maldives hosted the fifth summit to coincide with the atoll nation’s 25th anniversary of independence.
A final decision on the next summit is to be taken at the end of the three-day summit on Wednesday, officials said. SAARC groups Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Central bank employees will continue their work-to-rule campaign which they started last Thursday crippling major money transactions and other business, a union leader said.
He said the trade union action in support of better salaries and other demands including prompt payment of compensation to staff injured in last year’s bomb blast will be continued though the union was aware of the economic repercussions and public inconvenience caused by their action.
Talks were held on Friday but no settlement was reached and the union felt the govt. should directly intervene now as the dispute was no longer an internal matter for the central bank he said.
Amidst trade union warnings against “selling out” the Colombo Port to foreigners the Cabinet has approved the issue of so-called Letter of Comfort to a multi-million consortium for the development of container handling facilities at the port.
The consortium comprises John Keells Holdings Ltd., P&O Australia Ltd., and Nedlloyd B.V. Ltd. (Netherlands) and the project is for the development of the outer harbour and the Queen Elizabeth Quay as a container terminal on a build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis.
Under the agreement land will be leased to the consortium and some equipment owned by the Ports Authority will be exchanged as equity interest in the consortium. Port unions for the past few months have been protesting against the issuing of the controversial Letter of Comfor (LOC) which gives the multi-national company approval to raise funds for the project.
The cabinet approved the issuing of the LOC and has also extended the Letter of Intent which lapses on May 16 to December 31. The cabinet which first issued the LOI in February last year has renewed it at least four time.
Ports and Shipping Minister M.H.M. Ashraff at last week’s cabinet meeting has requested that the LOI be extended to facilitate the negotiations with the multinational consortium.
Ports and Shipping Ministry Secretary M. N. Junaid said an official statement on the Letter of Comfort would be issued at an ‘appropriate time.’
Government troops and the LTTE were yesterday reported to be bracing for a decisive battle in Vavuniya with LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran ordering his commanders to prepare for a showdown.
With all indication that the battle was about to start, the LTTE chief reportedly conferred with his senior ‘military commanders’ in the Wanni region and told them to move in cadres from the eastern province for the battle.
The LTTE is reported to have already started moving in its cadres from the eastern province to build up its strength to prevent the advance of government troops who seek to establish a road link between Vavuniya and Jaffna through Kilinochchi to enable the much-needed supplies to reach the peninsula without delay.
The security forces have acquired at least three government schools in the Vavuniya district.
More schools are to be taken over to station troops who are being moved into the area.
A letter signed by a senior police officer in Vavuniya said the schools were needed ‘temporarily’, PLOTE parliamentarian S. Shanmugathasan said.He claimed that troops were planning to occupy the schools for an imminent offensive and thereby deprived the students of their education.
The MP said it was only last month that schools were reopened after they were occupied by refugees for more than six months.
Divisional Education Director R. Pulendran was on his way to Colombo to lodge a protest with the Education Ministry about the closure of the schools.
With both sides set for a major offensive, a massive refugee exodus has been triggered.
Civilians at Vavuniya said they did not want to be caught in the crossfire, if a military offensive was launched, and were leaving the area in advance.
Reports said that civilians close to the frontlines of Vavuniya were also leaving the area in fear of being caught up in the fighting.
Civilians living close to the schools acquired by the government also have started moving to safer areas.
(See also Situation Report)
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