The two LTTE suspects who were found guilty by High Court Judge Padmini Ranawaka have been sentenced them to jail terms of 290 and 300 years to be served concurrently in 30 years as the HC case on Town Hall bomb explosion that killed 26 persons and seriously injured nearly 100 during the presidential election campaign on December 18, 1999. Earlier the court ruled that the confession made by the second accused was a voluntary one, thereby indicating that the Tigers were responsible for the assassination attempt. The two tragedies, what caused them, and subsequent expressions and conspiracy theories are so sickening and repulsive.
When the inquiry was taken up accused Velayudhan Vardharaja, Satyawel Ilangeswaran, Chandra Iyar Ragupathy Sharma and Wasanthi Ragupathi Sharma were produced as main accused. One of them, who confessed, however, had said that he signed a document written in Sinhalese and that he did not understand its contents. Victor Ivan, the investigative journalist, the political critic who wrote Queen of Deceit a book based on the life of former President Kumaranathunga put forward a conspiracy theory too. Ivan wrote that CBK, who lost one eye, herself, planned the attempt on her life in order to get a sympathy vote in the presidential election.
According to Ivan, Ragupathy, one of the three men accused was imprisoned in the Boossa camp; a jailor there had told Ivan that it seemed that Ragupathy had presented the bomber, as his patrons had promised him a fat sum of money; he details the bomb blast in his book, Queen of Deceit. Interestingly, Ivan mentions the name of Ragupathy Sharma, in the assassination attempt. The plan, as had been told, was to take into custody the woman along with an empty explosives belt at the venue of the meeting. Two explosions took place on the same day. The first was at a UNP rally in Ja-Ela at 8:50 pm and the second half-an-hour later at the UPFA rally at Town Hall. Ja-Ela bomb killed Major General Lucky Algama and 15 others.
A man named Abdul Gayum appearing before the magistrate confessed to having assisted in bringing the explosives used in the attack. Ivan also relates that on May 24, the police had produced four; Sinathambi, Rudra Ignatius, Bassist Fernando and Raja Sathyadran asserting that they met with LTTE leaders in Batticaloa in plotting the crime. However, following a brief confinement, on the 30th the court released them on bail due to lack of evidence. Interrogations revealed that this person had been asked to make a bogus confession on the assurance that action against him would be withdrawn on another crime for which he had been charged.
Ivan says, if the people who entered the venue were body searched, the bomber had to enter the place through the VIP entrance, and whether she entered through this gate with or without explosives belt is not certain. The prosecution had informed the court that the LTTE suicide bomber Manikkam Leela was from Thalamkudamunmune in Batticaloa and that her mother and sister of had identified her body. During the Magisterial inquiry, evidence given by ASP Nihal Perera of PSD as per Victor Ivan’s account— he adds; the security forces were conscious of the threat to President Kumaratunga's life at the rally, Inspector of Police Linton Ratnayake – was only a junior police officer who handled the investigation on behalf of state. He cast doubts over the inquiry by stating that inconsistent evidence was presented to point out that an investigation was being carried out. However, the DNA test conducted following a magisterial request at the Glasgow University had negative results.
Ivan says a secret document for which he had access was prepared by O.K. Hemachandra DIG, that was sent to the IGP and it casts doubts on both explosions; according to it a person called Kudu Mahinda had been involved in it with a group of army officers who carried out the Ja-Ela bomb; a video footage had discovered that some of his men had attended Town Hall premises too.
Meanwhile, R.K.N. Ananda, an expert in explosives of the Katunayake Air Force Base, had spoken to Ivan and told that he was sent along with Nihal Karunaratne PSD Chief to Germany to see the work on bulletproof BMW car used by her, and according to Ananda he had met CBK soon after the tragedy; the President had said, “Ananda if the car had been one inch higher I would have been okay.” Ivan continues, “CBK on hearing that Anuruddha Ratwatte had selected a team to probe the attack, she warned him not to get involved in things that doesn’t [sic] concern him”.
Tragedy at Pittala Handiya
Girls at Bishops College, in the close vicinity, were practising a Christmas carol service when the bomb exploded; students had been ordered to lie down on the floor as a protective measure.
A valuable piece of evidence had surfaced on the gas mask that was found in the vehicle in which Gota travelled on that day.
“The bomber struck as the convoy stopped due to traffic”, an eyewitness said. The LTTE suicide bomber, carrying a ten-kilogram bomb had been following Gota’s convoy in a three-wheeler. A backup vehicle cut across the path of the three-wheeler just before he detonated himself. Rajapaksa, unhurt because of the bulletproof vehicle he was travelling, was immediately pulled out of his vehicle and rushed to the Temple Trees while commandos cleared the area of traffic.
The three-wheeler driver, as per this report, had been an informant of the defence intelligence, a spy who spoke Tamil fluently, and also the three-wheeler was given to him by the forces. The Defence Ministry had been crediting monies to his account for his services. In the abovementioned bomb blast, seven civilians and seven members of the security staff of Gotabhaya sustained injuries. Two of them died. Eight vehicles were damaged.
How it became Pittala Handiya (Brass Junction)
In the early 80s, a family from Pilimatalawa set up an open shop on the little border on the right side of the street. After the bomb blast, the lone salesman was arrested saying he was in a key position to be a spy, sitting there watching traffic, movements of security. After questioning he was asked to leave the area. However, a neighbour intervened and explained that without them the name Pittala Handiya would not have survived. On their guarantee police allowed the family to continue selling their brassware.
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