Minister Dassanayake killed in claymore blast

Ranil Wijayapala and Rafik Jalaldeen

The LTTE continued its violent campaign killing Puttalam district MP and Nation Building Minister D.M. Dassanayake in a claymore mine blast at Rukmani Devi junction, Ja-ela yesterday.

Minister Dassanayake who sustained serious injuries in the mine blast succumbed at the Colombo North Teaching Hospital around 12.30 p.m. nearly one and a half hours after he was admitted to hospital and taken for immediate surgery, hospital authorities said.

"The Minister succumbed due to internal haemorrhage and head injuries caused due to shrapnel," Deputy Director of the Colombo North Teaching Hospital Lalani Gurusinghe said. "A personal bodyguard of the Minister also succumbed later as two people in serious condition were transferred to the Colombo National Hospital for further treatment," she added.

According to Police and hospital authorities 13 people including the personal bodyguards travelling along with the Minister and seven civilians were injured in the incident were admitted to Colombo North Teaching Hospital, Ragama.

The white Land Cruiser jeep in which Dassanayake was travelling along with five of his bodyguards was hit by the claymore mine believed to be planted on the pavement at Rukmanee Devi Junction, Ja-Ela yesterday around 10.45 a.m.

A Labour Ministry vehicle plying towards Katunayake was also caught in the mine blast injuring several in the vehicle.

"It is confirmed that the claymore mine targeted Nation Building Minister D.M. Dassanayake," Military Spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told the Daily News. However, Police Spokesman Senior DIG M.K.

Ilangakoon told the Daily News that Police are conducting investigations to ascertain whether the claymore mine has been planted targeting Minister D.M. Dassanayake or any other VIP.

This is the second claymore mine triggered off by the LTTE this year outside the Jaffna peninsula and the Wanni. He is the second MP killed this year after the assassination of Colombo district UNP MP T. Maheshwaran by a gunman at the dawn of 2008, at Sivam Kovil, Kotahena.

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Man with a common touch

Nation Building Minister D.M. Dassanayake was 54 years when he died yesterday in Ja-ela.

Born on April 29, 1953, Dassanayake had primary education at the Andigama Government school and the Pallagama Maha Vidyalaya. He passed his Advanced Level Examination at Ananda Maha Vidyalaya, Chilaw.

He was a father of one.

Prior to entering active politics he served as a field assistant at the Pallagama Agrarian Services Centre. As an active member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, Dassanayake entered Parliament in 1994 under the People's Alliance ticket obtaining 39,793 preferential votes. He came fourth in the PA list.

A man with a common touch, Dassanayake made his way to Parliament serving the common masses posing a challenge to violence-marred politics in the Puttalam district.

Since 1994 he represented the Parliament and held Deputy Ministerial portfolios and Non Cabinet Ministerial portfolios including Deputy Minister of Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in the North and East. He actively participated in the implementation of North-East resettlement programmes.

Dassanayake addressed the grassroots level problems confronted by the people in Puttalam, which is a comparatively less developed district.

His main target was to provide Puttalam residents specially those from Anamaduwa with basic infrastructure facilities like drinking water, sanitary facilities, health and education which were the burning issues at the time he first entered Parliament representing Anamaduwa electorate.

The nature of his firebrand politics always made him a controversial figure in contemporary politics but always won the hearts and minds of the people as he genuinely aspired to develop the Puttalam district.

(RW)