Sri Lanka: "The 'Sinhala terrorist' leader is a national treasure of the intelligence unit"- Kadawatha OIC

It is being disclosed that "Shyamal" who is the main suspect of the Sinhala Terrorist group, which is said to have had connections with the LTTE, have undergone LTTE training and were involved in triggering bombs in the South, is said to be kept in a location which belongs to the Military with maximum security.

It is being reported that Shyamal is involved with the Military intelligence sources and that he visits his home in Kdawatha with full security once in every two or three weeks. This information is being disclosed when a close friend of Shyamal called Iroshan Withanarachchi who has lodged a complaint at the Kadawatha police based on a discussion he had with Shyamal via phone. On the 12th of this month Iroshan WIthanarachchi had lodged a complaint in the Kadawatha police saying that he has known Shyamal since 1996 and that he was an active member of the JVP but later worked for the victory of the SLFP together with him.

Iroshan has further said that he organized the 'Jana Sahana' mobile service on the 19th of October 2006 on a request made by former Minister Sripathi Suriarachchi, with the support of area residents. He adds that Shyamal even prepared the milk rice for the function but the function could not proceed as a bomb was found from the area. On the statement made by Iroshan he says that he was the articles which papers carried lately that the bomb had been fixed to kill the former minister and that Shyamal told him during a telephone conversation that he was involved with the fixing of the bomb when Shyamal called on his mobile carrying the number 0785-330381. Shyamal had also said that high ranking officials of the government were aware of this.

He has also stated that Shyamal spoke to him on several occasions and asked him about the details about the village and politics and that Shyamal called him on the 10th of March while he was at a rally which was held under the patronage of Sripathi Suriarachchi in Kiribathgoda, but he cut the line as he could not talk at that moment. The complaint also states that Shyamal questioned him what Sripathi and Mangala were planning to do in April to which he replied saying that he was unaware of the high ranking officers were up to.

But Iroshan has said in his statement that he spoke to Sripathi Suriarachchi regarding the matter on the following day as he suspected of some thing. In his statement Iroshan has also said that he is doubtful whether Shyamal was in military custody or in the hands of the LTTE, as reports are being published in the papers constantly that he was yet to be arrested. Nitharsanam looked deeply into the matter to find out who was behind this and what they were up to. So we decided to unfold our findings. It was the officers of the 112th regiment of the Army that named a Sinhalese organisation called the Revolutionist Sinhala Organisation to be an anti LTTE movement.

On a complaint lodged by the regiment the crimes investigation division of the police launched their investigations into it. The so called the leader of the organisation Mohammed Lalith Senevirathne, Suduwahewage Nihal Senasinghe, Sisira Priyankaar and Sunera Priyankara was arrested by the police accordingly. The investigators also identified a person called Shyamal to be one of the leaders of the grou who is a resident of Kadawatha. As Shyamal was labeled as a Sinhala terrorist villagers had attempted to create an unrest several times and had even pasted posters saying to chase him from the village. Since the OIC of the Kadawatha police A. Gunarathne was informed that some rioters were attempting to set the house in which Shyamal lived on fire they rushed to the location and later held a meeting at the village temple. Around 300 villagers had attended the meeting which was scheduled to begin at 6 but instead actually began at 7.00 in the evening.

The reason behind this meeting being organized was actually to stop the riots which were rising against Shyamal's family and the Kadawatha OIC who spoke here had asked the villagers not to take the law into their hands since the country had very strong laws to punish terrorists despite their race. He had also made a special request not to label anyone as a Sinhala terrorist before he is being convicted at the court. The OIC had then left the gathering saying he had to take part in another religious gathering. These information was revealed by the Chief Incumbent of the Oushpara, which is the temple that the meeting was held, Venerable Halmillawe Dharmarathna thera.

A businessman in the area D.S. Kalarachchi has also attended the meeting which was held at the temple. He says that while the OIC was at the meeting he had received a call from a captain in the Intelligence unit and that the OIC during his speech said that Shyamal was not a Sinhala terrorist but an officer of the Intelligence and therefore needs to be protected since he was valuable for the country.

Kalarachchi had then risen and questioned during the meeting how Shyamal who was suspected to be a member of the JVP during 89/90 and was suspected for many crimes which took place in the village be an Officer of the Intelligence unit. At this moment the OIC had got another called and he had walked outside the hall to answer it and when he returned the OIC had said that Shyamal will arrive at the location with officers of the Intelligence Unit.

Another person who said was from the Intelligence unit, wearing a red colour T-shirt had also spoken during the meeting and said that Shyamal needed to be protected as he was a national treasure.

At the time when the meeting was ending Shyamal had arrived at the temple with officers of the Intelligence unit. Therefore the attempts made by the villagers to set Shyamal�s house on fire ended through the briefing of the OIC and the explanation of the Intelligence officers.

Meanwhile several days after the meeting was held Shyamal who arrived in a motor cycle when Kaluarachchi was purchasing some fish from a stall in the 9th mile post had said "you are talking too big. Be careful I'm in the intelligence unit" to which Kaluarachchi replied saying "our forces should be mad to get people like you involved with such work."