Front Page

Front Page

PM stops CBK's move to sack Ravi
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has thwarted a move by President Chandrika Kumaratunga to remove Minister Ravi Karunanayake from the Cabinet.

She is accusing him of hurling an allegation that "the President has brought bombs to kill the Prime Minister in her hand bag." But Premier Wickremesinghe has insisted that there were no grounds to remove Mr. Karunanayake from the cabinet.

In a letter sent hours before Premier Wickremesinghe flew to London (en route to Washington), President Kumaratunga said the minister's "accusation is so serious and his behaviour is so completely unacceptable that I cannot have him as a member of my Cabinet any more. I would like to have your views early as I am aware that you are due to leave the country early tomorrow morning."

Mr. Wickremesinghe prepared his reply shortly after returning to Temple Trees late on Friday night after attending a function at the Colombo Hilton. It was a reception that followed the wedding of the daughter of former UNP Chairman and Cabinet Minister, the late A.C.S. Hameed. The letter was delivered to the Presidential Secretariat last morning.

Highly placed UNF sources told The Sunday Times last night it had been acknowledged that it was the Prime Minister who decided on the Cabinet and not the President. That was how the UNF Cabinet was picked by him. Premier Wickremesinghe had quoted Article 44 of the Constitution under which "the President in consultation with the Prime Minister appoints the cabinet".

In her letter to Mr. Wickremesinghe, President Kumaratunga said: "At the end of the Cabinet meeting held on 17.7.2002 you will recall that Mr. Ravi Karunanayake hurled an allegation that President has brought bombs in her handbag to kill the Prime Minister. He alleged that the Prime Minister should take care because the President can use the bombs against him. He repeated more than once in a loud and crude manner.

"At this point you intervened and said it was a very unfair statement and he should not continue to talk in this manner. I remained silent and did not utter a word as I was completely shocked and startled by the Minister's most unwarranted allegation and lowly behaviour.

"You agreed with me when we met the following morning that Mr. Karunanayake's behaviour is totally unacceptable. I need hardly stress that the said Minister's statement is an extremely serious allegation against the Head of State and Head of Cabinet that she intended to bomb her Prime Minister and her Cabinet at a Cabinet meeting thereby also killing herself.

"The nature of this accusation is so serious and his behaviour so completely unacceptable that I cannot have him as a member of my Cabinet any more. I would like to have your views early as I am aware that you are due to leave the country early tomorrow morning."

Serious friction between President Kumaratunga and Mr. Karunanayake had developed at last Wednesday's Cabinet meeting after the minister raised questions about the Directorate of Internal Intelligence purchasing a lady's handbag equipped with hi-tech surveillance gadgets to video and record events. He is learnt to have alleged that President Kumaratunga brought such a bag to the Cabinet meeting.

Premier Wickremesinghe himself had intervened at the Cabinet meeting to direct Mr. Karunanayake to remain silent when a heated exchange ensued between the Minister and the President. However, a ministerial source said last night Mr. Karunanayake had made no reference to bombs being concealed in the bag.

At the Cabinet meeting, Mr. Karunanayake had produced a letter dated November 13, 2001, sent to the local agent of the British firm Technical Surveillance Ltd by T.V. Sumanasekera, Additional Director, Directorate of Internal Intelligence (DII) placing an order for a single unit of what is described as a handbag hide. This piece of surveillance equipment inside a lady's handbag contained a colour camera, twin stereo microphones, remote wireless key-fob activation, Sony DCR-PC9 digital camcorder, incorporating super nightshot low light capability.

In the letter, Mr. Sumanasekera told the local agent to instruct their principals to "deliver the above to Mr. Sunil Munasinghe of the Sri Lanka High Commission.

"Necessary instructions will be given to Mr. Munasinghe to take delivery of the equipment," the letter said. Besides the letter, Mr. Karunanayake also produced a photo copy of the catalogue giving details of the handbag hide.

On Friday, People's Alliance spokesman Sarath Amunugama told The Sunday Times President Kumaratunga would demand an apology from Minister Karunanayake. He said she was also planning to take legal action against the defamatory statements made of her by the Cabinet Minister.

Back to Front Page