CNN,  Thu Jan 15 15:42:07 EST 2009

    (CNN) -- A crusading Sri Lankan journalist shot dead last week knew he would be killed -- he said so in a dramatic, posthumously published column touching a raw nerve in his war-torn island nation.
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- The Academic

Lasantha maybe a good journalist. But there are serious doubts as to whether Lasantha wrote that last editorial. Nobody seem to have the right to investigate the validity. I.e. If Lasntha emailed it to somebody, then where is the original email? If he saved it in his computer, how come others know his password? or if he had delivered it on a disk, where is that? if he just printed it and gave only the hard copy, where is his approving signature?

Call wrote:

But there are serious doubts as to whether Lasantha wrote that last editorial. Nobody seem to have the right to investigate the validity. I.e. If Lasntha emailed it to somebody, then where is the original email? If he saved it in his computer, how come others know his password? or if he had delivered it on a disk, where is that? if he just printed it and gave only the hard copy, where is his approving signature?

I also heard these rumors. In fact there are serious doubts about whether Lasantha actually died. I heard it is all a made up story.

I think it is all part of the conspiracy to malign the good name of our great leader and his lovely family.


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There are no minorities in Sri Lanka. --- Dr.Percy Mahinda Rajapakse Ph.D

Anyone remember how S. Leader and Lasantha planted a story to smear Mangala Samaraweera on the credit card issue by downloading gay porn at J.R Jayawardene Centre on Dharmpala Mw only to be exposed?  NO ONE apologized and this man was always arrogant and insistent he was right even when he was wrong. He was ambitious and wanted to become a big politician on Ranil's coattails because when he ran as an SLFPer in Colombo he barely got triple digit votes.. He then spied on Mrs. B and related all the information to the UNP..Lets not forget his character..He hated someone who set a trap for him and exposed him to Mrs B and CBK..and always gunned for that man later; although that man also was not entirely an honest man but Lasantha had favourites he would target and destroy and also lie about.  Then he lavishes praise for those he loved. Remember the bogus praise for Ranil and his bride about "true love" and "starry eyed lovers" in nutshell? why was that printed just before the Presidential election.  Rather queer huh? He wanted to become the minister of Justice!!  


 Why didn’t anyone join a march for the Military Intelligence LRRP people when they were exposed by S. Leader with Ranil or for Premakeerthi De Alwis?  LRRP heroes were killed one by one after being exposed by S. Leader and the UNP govt at that time when Ranil won…And this was during a ceasefire.  Leader and Lasantha printed their names and went to town on some absurd LRRP "plot" to kill Ranil and SP Udugampola and UNP lackeys arrested all the good heroes who were striking fear into the hearts of the Tigers. All were killed and LRRP destroyed.  Also note details of the military he printed that will be censored even in the US . He kept exposing military strength, deployments and procurements...

Still this is very SAD that he was killed because the ones to gain the most are the opposition at a time the govt is hugely popular with the masses and of course the LTTE.  No one must die for writing even garbage.

Anyway, the attack must be condemned unequivocally.  MR must allow an open investigation similar to when Sivaram/Taraki died.  It was revealed to be an internal PLOT rivalry.. Luckily CBK allowed an open investigation. The Tamil Tigers were trying to say she did it.. Either he wrote it because he knew something was up or it was another last miserable scam by a Gutter level Tabloid journalist but he has every RIGHT to write what he wanted without being killed.

Ask the question WHO benefits the most internationally?  the Tigers ..

Locally? The floundering pathetic tiger apologists in the UNP. But still it is WRONG and IMMORAL and totally unchristian to
murder civilians....

But who dunnit?  An unethical tabloid journalist with zero popularity has now become a rallying cry and martyr. Another backward step for democracy and truth.



Last edited by RogerThis on Fri Jan 16, 2009 11:57 am; edited 1 time in total

Because of the good grace of MR, it rained today. The impression I got from the editorial is that it was written after his assassination by someone else, in an attempt to be original. Reading through it, I never for a moment thought that anyone was claiming that it was actually he who wrote it.

Why did Mahinda murder Lasantha, once a good friend? Was it because L was a more potent enemy than RW? Or was it because, as Mangala's cock and bull would have it, L was about to expose a major scandal involving the cabinet as well as the prez? Cock and bull because it is highly improbable that L would have been working alone on this story without any of his staff being aware of it... and if he were, how does Mangala know? Or have Mervyns goons been given green light by MR to wreak carnage against anything anti war? Or was L eliminated because he was becoming more and more a pain in the ever broadening rump of the brothers? While these things maybe cause for murdering him, on the whole I feel that they are not substantial enough by themselves to warrant murder. The current state of affairs has not deteriorated that badly (although we are going down that lane) yet.

Then there is the revenge motive: L exposed MRs helping hambantota by helping himself scam. This cost a mere 4 lakhs in cash but far more in reputation to MR. Another angle is that L was to expose major corruption at SLT by the Mahinda appointed chairwoman. However, notorious as this respected lady is for her deals, she has no reputation for eliminating people. Also, both Mahinda and Lasantha (and the chairperson) were lawyers. So who is the BASL protesting for?

Why did Mahinda call for a press meeting? He is supposed to have assured them that this sort of thing would'nt happen in future... then is he admitting responsibility? Or is he just saying, "This won't happen coz you guys won't be that stupid... [32 teeth here]"

The  war is being won and maybe after it is won fully we will see an increase in murders like these. The good boys in the army have to be kept busy. But once the war is won, if there is a free and fair election, would the public vote for Mahinda or realize that he has outlived his usefullness and vote for premadasa or SB?

Churchill lost after winning WW-2.. Good points Romeo.. Scary is the fact that SL is completely militarized now and the Army is untouchable to the media. That is a dangerous trend.  What if they become like the Tigers who control the minds of tamils?  The conventional war is coming to an end soon.what is the future?

lankaenews is not a site that i like to quote from, but i found this food for thought article there.
 

http://www.lankaenews.com/English/news.php?id=6984

Due to instant surge of pseudo nationalism due to war victories,  I fear for my life in Sri Lanka to speak against anything about it.
If you look at what people are talking about now and how they respond to other elsewhere on the web, people will kill you for criticizing the war efforts.  I see people threatening others mentioning 'White Vans'.

Imagine watching a cricket match and someone is getting beaten for criticizing Jayasuriya?
We have the same situation there.

The doomed days of Jaffna Lamp post day will come back and that time LTTE will not be the ones doing the killing.


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"What is left when honor is lost?"

Romeo wrote:

The  war is being won and maybe after it is won fully we will see an increase in murders like these. The good boys in the army have to be kept busy. But once the war is won, if there is a free and fair election, would the public vote for Mahinda or realize that he has outlived his usefullness and vote for premadasa or SB?

Both of them have a battle to win in the UNP and become the leader of the party before they come in front of the people. The first battle is a huge one. I find MR a better chess player than RW. But RW is the best chess master in the UNP. SB is eyeing the same route that CBK took in coming to the leadership of the SLFP. There is a vast difference in the ground realities of then for CBK and now for SB. SB is far more exposed a character than CBK then. It is a big question mark even the ardent UNPers will go for SB with his uncharacteristic word play? His integrity? Is he a visionary?
Sajith has a long way to go. He could be a popular man in the Hambantota district; he is yet to carve out a national figure. Less he talks less he would be exposed. He is not a crowd puller or got a mass appeal, then comes the rest of the questions.

One thing is sure Sri Lanka has vacancies for Leaders. Who will fill the vacuum too soon to judge?


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MAC1

RW should have quit long ago. Would've been better for the UNP as well as the party. UNP doesn't have many choices with most of the flock in the SLFP. Maybe someone could come back and claim the leadership. SB's credibility is low. But chandrika's credibility is even less. I've personally seen her drunk to the brim leaving a leading 5 star in cmb and was told it wasn't an isolated incident. So maybe SB has hope? I wouldn't vote for him but imagine Mangala and SB were the best of friends with one even stooping low to defend the others overt passes at Susanthika and the despicable things done to her... then they parted ways and SB and the leader went on and on about how Mangala would hold a budhu pilimaya. now they are bedfellows again. What will they beget?