JHU behind abduction of businessman - Ranil

By Isuri Kaviratne, Photo Credit Saman Kariyawasam and Indraratne Balasuriya.

Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has charged that the JHU was behind the reported abduction of prominent businessman and UNP supporter Hemantha Nishantha who had reportedly purchased a vehicle from the JHU leader Ven. Ellawala Medhananda Thera. Mr. Wickreamasinghe declared that JHU-backed Minister of Environment Champika Ranawaka and JHU spokesman Udaya Gammanpila had visited Hemantha and had threatened him to make a false statement at the Homagama Police saying that he was not abducted.

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Mr. Hemantha Nishantha had been taken around the Colombo city, to Awissawella and then to Gampaha after he had been abducted and at Galpotta Road, Kotte, the JHU members Ranawaka and Gammanpila had met Hemantha , the Opposition Leader claimed. His documents too were taken from him by the abductors , he added.

“The first complaint was made to the Cinnamon Gardens police by a relative of Hemantha Nishantha. But so far, they (the Police) have not started an investigation as to who abducted him, even though UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake had spoken to the IGP as well on this matter ,” the UNP leader added.

Mr. Wickremesinghe said if the Police continude to delay commencing investigations he would take the matter up in Parliament as a privileges issue. The MPs concerned will have to face a Select Committee , he said. Mr. Wickremesinghe has already communicated with the Speaker W.J.M. Lokubandara on the matter.

“I’m planning to ask for a Parliamentary debate on this matter as well. This means that the JHU has an abducting group operating in Colombo. The Civil Monitoring Commission, at the moment, ensures the safety of Mr. Hemantha Nishantha and I will inform the International Community of the true incident and of the false statement he was forced to make,” he said.

The vehicle at the centre of controversy, a Mercedes Benz registered on April 10, 2007, had been registered under the name of Ven. Ellawala Medhananda Thera, Shri Sumangalaramaya, Napawala, Getahetta. Earlier, Ven. Ellawala Medhananda Thera, had denied the car was owned by him.

Mr. Wickremesinghe had gone together with Mr. Hemantha Nishantha, owner of Miki Lanka, a company dealing in spare parts etc., to meet the new principal of the Vidyodaya Pirivena at Maligakande and the Mahabodhi College at Maradana in the Mercedes Benz, now in the possession of the businessman.

The businessman is reported to have said that he had paid Rs. 15 million for the car, and given a power of attorney to Mr. Upali, his partner to use the vehicle.

At the Vidyodaya Pirivena, Sri Lanka's oldest monastic college, Mr. Wickremesinghe had shown the senior monks and pupil-monks the expensive vehicle that was obtained by the JHU leader on permit for MPs. That night, Mr. Hemantha Nishantha is reported to have asked the UNP Leader to garage the car in his office at Cambridge Terrace, Colombo.

The next morning, UNP headquarters was told that Mr. Hemantha Nishantha had been "abducted" and his whereabouts were unknown.

Mr. Hemantha Nishantha and Mr. Wickremesinghe leaving Vidyodaya Pirivena, in the controversial car on Thursday.

According to UNP sources, Senior Superindent Wickramasinghe, head of the Opposition Leader's security division had received a telephone call from Hemantha Nishantha at 9.05 a.m. on Friday saying to make arrangements to release the car to him, and that he would be coming in half an hour to collect it. In the meantime, two vehicles, a Mercedes Benz and a Toyoto Ganzt, both with tinted glasses, had pulled up at the Opposition leader's office and a sub-inspector identified as Upali of the MSD (Ministerial Security Division) had asked that the vehicle be released.

The Benz is registered under the name of Raigam Marketing (Pvt.) Ltd., a company in the Group to which Ven. Ellawela Medhananda Thera had, allegedly, sold his car-permit.

According to a statement made by the Opposition Leader's security officers, they identified SI Upali as being currently with Minister Ranawaka's security squad, having once worked in then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe's security division. The vehicle was not released to SI Upali on the basis that the vehicle had to be returned to the rightful owner who left it behind.

At 11.45 am, Mr. Wickremesinghe had telephoned Hemantha Nishantha on his mobile. Someone else had answered, and given the phone to him. The UNP Leader had asked the businessman to come and collect his car, or for Ven. Ellawela Medhananda Thera to come and collect the car. Mr. Hemantha Nishantha promised he would do so, but did not show up the whole day (Friday).

Late that same night, Hemantha Nishantha made a statement to the Homagama Police saying that he was not abducted. Last afternoon (Saturday) he met the UNP Leader adding more confusion to a continuing drama.

Police say no case

By Asif Fuard

The police yesterday said they had dropped the investigation of a UNP supporter who was presumed to be abducted over a controversial imported vehicle which was bought on a vehicle permit and then leased by JHU MP Ven. Ellawala Medhananda Thera.On Friday at around 8.45 pm I.D Hemantha who is a businessman and ardent UNP supporter in Kottawa had given a counter statement to the Homagama Police stating that he was not abducted but had gone to Avissawella on business which was contrary to the statement given by his brother Prabath Liyanage to the Cinnamon Gardens police that morning.

The issue was a topic which was raised by the UNP at a news conference which was held at UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office at Cambridge Terrace, Colombo-3. When The Sunday Times went to the UNP leader’s office to interview the victim’ s brother, Prabath Liyanage who had complained that his brother had been abducted by the JHU over a car, he said, “ My brother bought the vehicle from a car sale known as Raigam Traders four months back. He later gave the vehicle for the UNP to use it while the registration of the vehicle was under Ven. Ellawala Medhananda Thera. When the whole vehicle issue came to light they wanted to buy the vehicle back from him.”

“On Friday morning he had gone to Maharagama to meet the JHU members and the Raigam Traders officials. He had come near the Cambridge Terrace office to get the car but he was not allowed by those who took him. He was on the phone with me and said that the people he was with did’nt want him to get down or let him go because there were journalists covering a news conference in the office,” he said. Homagama, police station HQI Chief Inspector G.J Nandana told The Sunday Times that Mr. Hemantha had made a statement that no abduction took place and that he had gone to Avisawella on business on Friday .

“He said that he was somewhere near Godagama when he heard the news on the radio which said he had been abducted. So he came here and gave a statement saying that he had gone on business and that there was no such abduction,” the HQI said.

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