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| Wednesday, 30 June 2004 |
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by Sandasen Marasinghe Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) John Antony Kumar Mark said on Monday, that a windscreen of a vehicle which seemed to have been damaged by a bullet of a firearm was found placed against a parapet wall of a neighbouring hotel of the residence of former Minister Anuruddha Ratwatte. He made this observation before the Trial-at-Bar hearing the Udatalawinna case when he was examined by Deputy Solicitor General Palitha Fernando. The Trial-at-Bar comprises High Court Judges Eric Basnayake (President), Deepali Wijesundara and Sunil Rajapakse. The witness stated that he joined the CID in 1979 and was working as the head of the Sri Lanka Branch of the Interpol attached to the CID in December 2001. He was instructed by the Senior Superintendent of Police Sisira Mendis on December 8 to investigate the incident at Udatalawinna." I knew that 10 civilians were killed at the scene. He went to Kandy and returned on the same day. He went back to Kandy with Sisira Mendis on December 9 and had the CID take charge of the investigations. Antony Mark further stated that he obtained a statement on December 10, from the JMO who held the postmortems of the victims. He went to the residence of the former Minister Anuruddha Ratwatte at Mahaiyawa, Katugastota on December 13, 2001 with a Police team to arrest Lohan Ratwatte and Chanuka Ratwatte as instructed by SSP Sisira Mendis. He was also instructed to find the weapons used in the Udatalawinna crime. There were Policemen and Commandos near the residence providing security. The house was locked except for a room used as an election campaign office. The telephone of the office then rang and a security officer gave the witness ASP Antony Mark the phone and former Minister Anuruddha Ratwatte asked him the reason for the visit to his house. When witness told the former Minister the reason he (Ratwatte) told him that Lohan was in Colombo with him and the keys of the house were with him . When ASP Antony insisted the necessity for the keys and the presence of Lohan on that very day itself the former Minister asked for the telephone number of his Officer-in -Charge. Witness ASP Anthony Mark said he and the former Minister were known to each other for a long period of time. ASP Antony Mark said that SSP Sisira Mendis later informed him that former Minister Anuruddha Rattwatte would hand over the key and Lohan the following day. Then one of his officers found a windscreen which seemed to have been damaged by a bullet from a firearm leaning against a parapet wall of the neighbouring 'Palanquin' Hotel. It seemed that of a windscreen of a Defender jeep. He instructed Sergeant Basil to transport the Windscreen to the Katugastota Police safely. Sergeant Basil had put the windscreen in an empty cell in the Katugastota Police. When Tirantha Walaliyadda PC suggested that ASP Antony Mark did not go to Kandy on December 8, 2001, the ASP denied this and referring to the notes said that he himself had noted it down. Tirantha Walaliyadda PC:-"You went to Kandy on December 8, 2001 and it has been noted on December 18." ASP Antony Mark:-"I did not note it on the same day but noted it later." Deputy Solicitor General Palitha Fernando, Senior State Counsel Mohan Seneviratne, Senior State Counsel Achala Wengappuli, State Counsel Shanil Kularatne appeared for the Attorney General while Tirantha Walaliyadda PC and Anil Silva appeared for the defendants. |
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