Minister Mervyn Silva had made this statement addressing a gathering at the Jayanthi Mahal Junction at the opening ceremony of a Sathosa outlet in Hunupitiya, Kelaniya on Thursday (9).
“Lasantha from the Leader paper went overboard. I took care of him. Poddala agitated and his leg was broken. Now a fellow in my electorate is trying to stand against me. I now tell him in his own hometown, I will give him only seven more days. If he does not resign as chairman of the Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha, don’t blame me later on. You’ll don’t find fault with me. If this fellow goes against what I say, I will send him to the place where I sent Lasantha,” Non-cabinet Labor Minister Mervyn Silva stated publicly at a meeting in Hunupitiya, Kelaniya.
A Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha member told Lanka News Web that the recorded versions of Silva’s speech have already been sent to the President and the SLFP general secretary. Silva while being critical of Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Prasanna Ranaweera and several other members has said he did not fear any one as long as President Mahinda Rajapakse was in power, as he could not be defeated by any force.
A few days after the Minister made this statement; an unidentified armed group stormed into the house of the Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman and attacked the house situated at Bandaranayake Mawatha, Kelaniya.
The Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman addressing the media following the attack said, “Minister Mervyn Silva openly scolded me and six other Pradeshiya Sabha members on the 9th. He made threats saying he would do what needs to be done.
Notwithstanding the conditional language alleging Mervyn’s liability, the ultimate point is: will there or will there not be legal consequences for the murder of Lasantha Wickrematunga? If not, any journalist is disposable, a norm the majority supports. If not, this is not the fault of anyone in the Rajapaksa administration. It is the fault of the Sri Lankan people for accepting that Lasantha’s extra-judicial killing is one of thousands, and thus, like the thousands, need not go through a judicial process, and do not expect any form of justice other than consensus based on informal speculation.
In a democracy, imperfect or not, the power is purportedly with the people. The administration knows protests in the streets will not reach the levels necessary to galvanize the political will for a trial. Thus, the administration does nothing, the Sri Lankan people do nothing, and Lasantha remains someone who tried to speak the truth as he saw it, was murdered for it, and will be forgotten, like the rest, as that sharp journalist who “crossed” the line.
“Lasantha from the Leader paper went overboard. I took care of him. Poddala agitated and his leg was broken. Now a fellow in my electorate is trying to stand against me. I now tell him in his own hometown, I will give him only seven more days. If he does not resign as chairman of the Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha, don’t blame me later on. You’ll don’t find fault with me. If this fellow goes against what I say, I will send him to the place where I sent Lasantha,” Non-cabinet Labor Minister Mervyn Silva stated publicly at a meeting in Hunupitiya, Kelaniya.
A Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha member told Lanka News Web that the recorded versions of Silva’s speech have already been sent to the President and the SLFP general secretary. Silva while being critical of Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Prasanna Ranaweera and several other members has said he did not fear any one as long as President Mahinda Rajapakse was in power, as he could not be defeated by any force.
A few days after the Minister made this statement; an unidentified armed group stormed into the house of the Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman and attacked the house situated at Bandaranayake Mawatha, Kelaniya.
The Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman addressing the media following the attack said, “Minister Mervyn Silva openly scolded me and six other Pradeshiya Sabha members on the 9th. He made threats saying he would do what needs to be done.
Notwithstanding the conditional language alleging Mervyn’s liability, the ultimate point is: will there or will there not be legal consequences for the murder of Lasantha Wickrematunga? If not, any journalist is disposable, a norm the majority supports. If not, this is not the fault of anyone in the Rajapaksa administration. It is the fault of the Sri Lankan people for accepting that Lasantha’s extra-judicial killing is one of thousands, and thus, like the thousands, need not go through a judicial process, and do not expect any form of justice other than consensus based on informal speculation.
In a democracy, imperfect or not, the power is purportedly with the people. The administration knows protests in the streets will not reach the levels necessary to galvanize the political will for a trial. Thus, the administration does nothing, the Sri Lankan people do nothing, and Lasantha remains someone who tried to speak the truth as he saw it, was murdered for it, and will be forgotten, like the rest, as that sharp journalist who “crossed” the line.
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