President's hand in his own assassination

President's hand in his own assassination

By S. Piyasena

Sri Lanka, where violence has become the rule rather than the exception, has created another record by assassinating the president and his principal rival within just eight days.

President Premadasa, surrounded by no less than three dozen armed bodyguards, was nevertheless blown up by an assassin as he led a May Day march in Colombo.

Police quickly attempted to blame Tamil guerillas for the assassination of the president and of Lalith Athulathmudali, leader of the opposition Democratic United National Front, on April 23.

An innocent Tamil was murdered and the body was produced as the killer of Athulathmudali. However, the Sunday Island newspaper reported on May 9 that Athulathmudali's bodyguard had told police that the body was not that of the assassin. He had made a similar statement to the Scotland Yard team that is assisting the Sri Lankan police in their investigations.

When the president was killed, the police immediately identified the "suicide killer" as a member of a Tamil separatist guerilla group. The police say he was in and out of the president's residence for nearly two years as a close friend of the president's valet.

Two years ago the opposition and the government breakaway group led by Athulathmudali accused President Premadasa of supplying arms, ammunition, money and other equipment to the Tamil guerilla group. The president admitted that but maintained the equipment was given for the purpose of eliminating the socialist and radical groups among the Tamil community.

Once the rebels had completed that task, they turned the weapons on the security forces.

From June 1990 to March 31, 1993, 3000 soldiers were killed in this civil war.

If the police identification is correct, then President Premadasa paved the way for his own assassination.

From GLW issue 100