Appreciations
Ian Wickramanayake:
Well known, powerful personality
Ian Wickramanayake, a well known, powerful personality amongst the
legal and police circles, passed away on April 22, 2011. He hails from
the illustrious Wickramanayake clan. He was well known to several police
officers due to his lofty position as Director of Public Prosecutions,
Bribery Commissioner, and many other posts which he held simultaneously
during the period the late Felix Dias Bandaranayake was a Cabinet
Minister.
Though I knew Ian for some time, my close association with him was
during the aftermath of the 1971 JVP insurrection. The late Mrs.
Sirimavo Bandaranaike appointed an Investigation Unit headed by the
retired IGP Eleric Abeygoonewardena, and a team of police officers to
investigate and bring to book the culprits and suspects who had been
taken into custody by various police stations and the Army. This Unit
commenced investigations to gather evidence to frame charges in a court
of law. A few State Counsel from the Attorney-General’s Department too
were drafted into this Unit.
To my recollection Ian Wickramanayake, Kenneth Seneviratne,
Shanmuganathan and a few others were seconded to this Unit. They were
also bestowed the rank of ASP’s, mostly to have statements of suspects
recorded by them which could be accepted in a Court of Law, as recorded
by police officers. Of the State Counsel seconded, Ian plunged into the
investigations assisted by a few police officers, to question and record
the statements of many suspects who were under custody in the CID and
the Special Branch. Other State Counsel too assisted the Police in
recording statements of suspects.
Ian had a brilliant memory and capacity to spend many hours with us
questioning the suspects when statements were being recorded. His legal
knowledge plus the knowledge of police investigations gave him an upper
slot as a chief investigator. Ian had a team of police officers to
Jaffna where the late Rohana Wijeweera was imprisoned. Having obtained
the necessary approval Wijeweera was questioned and his statement was
recorded. Wijeweera with intense questioning revealed vital information
of the organization and the other members of the organization which
helped to rope in other suspects and build up the evidence against the
JVP insurrection.
Another instance was when some investigations were conducted against
a Catholic priest who was a Sri Lankan, hailing from Jaffna, who bore
the name of an Englishman. This case was discussed before the late Prime
Minister at Temple Trees, where the then IGP, Ian and a few police
officers were also present. The then IGP commenced briefing the Prime
Minister about the case, claiming that the priest was a foreigner. Ian
jumped up from his seat, interrupted the then IGP and rattled off the
entire history of the priest and his involvement.
The other instance was when a Buddhist monk who was the Crown witness
in the Trial-at-Bar Case, was giving evidence. We investigators felt
that the Buddhist monk was going back on his statement. We discussed
this with Ian and stated that the case was going to flop if we let the
Buddhist monk to continue with his evidence. Having listened to us he
telephoned the then Attorney General and requested an urgent meeting
with him. The then Attorney General readily agreed and a few police
officers, including myself, and Ian met the Attorney General and
convinced him that the evidence of the Buddhist monk must be stopped
forthwith and that we were in a position to produce one of the leading
suspects as a witness who had made a confessional statement to us and
who was prepared to give evidence for the Crown.
The then Attorney General agreed and Ian met the Minister the late
Felix Dias Bandaranayake and obtained his consent to treat the accused
as a Crown witness once the accused concluded his evidence for the
Crown. Accordingly, the top JVP accused was called as a witness having
stopped the evidence of the Buddhist priest, and this witness gave the
court the necessary evidence to obtain a conviction against all the
accused persons.
During this period the JVP was gunning for Ian and there was a
definite plan to hurt him by kidnapping his only son who died
subsequently. However, Ian was determined to continue the investigation
with the Police. The final triumph of Ian was when he withstood the
fiery cross examination by learned Counsel the late Senator S Nadesan QC
and Bala Tampoe. Ian, to my recollection, was in the Witness Box for
more than a month continuously being cross examined by both Counsel.
Someone had written in the newspapers that Ian used to be well attired.
Subject to correction, it was claimed that Ian wore 30 different suits
and 30 different ties when he was in the Witness Box during the period
he gave evidence.
I can boldly claim that no police officer or even State Counsel would
have volunteered to get into the Witness Box at that time to give
evidence at a Trial-at-Bar in respect of an investigation conducted by
the Police. Ian had grit, egoism, brilliance and an unforgettable
memory. It could be safely claimed that his contribution to the
investigation aspect, his knowledge of the overall plot of the JVP and
the evidence he gave were major contributory factors for the courts to
find the accused persons guilty of the charges preferred against them.
During his tenure as Bribery Commissioner, he instilled fear in to
the corrupt police officers, politicians, government servants and semi
government organizations. He took upon himself the role of detective
too. Once he jumped into a hotel and took into custody a chairman of a
corporation and a female employee who were in a room in the hotel.
He had some affection towards the police officers and volunteered to
help them whenever some of them had to face departmental or court cases.
All the police officers who knew him are sure to miss him.
May his soul rest in peace.
B Anton Jeyanathan
Dy. Inspector General of Police, Sri Lanka Police (Rtd)
‘My son the greatest’
Major Milroy Fernando, third Battalion Gajaba Regiment 50th birth
anniversary:
You may have seen me in the grocery store or at the fish stall,
waiting for the postman or picking up milk and paper. I may have been at
work typing or sweeping, nursing or doctoring, or waiting on customers.
But you can tell it’s me, I will be the one standing tall and proud.
You see while other children were going to work, college or loafing
around, goofing off or just being kids, playing cricket or football, my
child joined the world’s finest military.
My child has been serving this country all over the battle zone.
Keeping peace, making peace and making me proud.
And then when our country, our way of life, our very democracy was
threatened, my son was ready and eager to answer the call to conquer
this evil plague that had been set upon us and the rest of the world.
Recently many parents have suffered the greatest loss any parent can
face, and my heart shares their loss.
I was also filled with the deepest fear for the health and future of
my son. Yet the desire to serve is what had charted my child’s life, and
moulded the personal strength that simply amazed and humbled me. And
that is why I am proud. That is why our country is the greatest. I could
be any mother or father anywhere. But you can tell it’s me, I will be
the one standing tall and proud.
May he attain Supreme Bliss of Nirvaana!
Sanjaya Fernando RSP,
Wing Commander (Rtd)
Elmo Fernando - a man of learning
Elmo Fernando of Kalutara is no more. We will never hear his sonorous
voice again. We will never again listen to his erudite expositions of
finer points in art and cinema. He would talk about the poetry of T S
Eliot, lyrics of W B Yeats, abstruse poems of Ezra Pound. Then again he
would talk about the novels of D H Lawrence, Stanylovski’s contribution
to world drama. His discussions will go so far as Machado, Silone and
Vallejo.
Next moment he would begin to talk about cinema. He would talk about
Porter, Bergman, the film Battleship Btenkim, Ray of Ghatak. There was
no end to our talking and it would go on to the deep of night until his
beloved wife would step in and beckon him that it was high time to go to
bed.
I think that the present day reading public might have forgotten the
fact that few decades back Elmo’s criticisms of contemporary poetry,
fiction and cinema adorned the literary columns of the Sunday Observer
and the Daily News.
He used to write poetry and some of his poems appeared not only in
the local press but also in prestigious magazines over the Continent. A
collection of his poems were published few years back. Very few people
will remember that Elmo had been critically discussing contemporary
poetry, fiction and cinema over the western service of Sri Lanka
Broadcasting Corporation, few decades back.
Elmo was poet, critic, broadcaster and literati. I do not like to
introduce him as a media person as that term is hackneyed and has become
a cliché today.
He had been a good teacher and his teaching carer started in Tissa
Madhya Vidyalaya, Kalutara and ended up at Kelaniya University. The
credit of starting the first ever cinema society in a school goes to
him. That was the cinema society of Tissa Madhya Vidyalaya, Kalutara.
He was well versed in Western classics he never forgot about his
Sinhala for he had studied Sinhala under the feet of that great oriental
scholar, Beruwala Sri Nivasa Thera.
He had been a good sportsman and a thorough gentleman. He had played
tennis from his school days until few years before his death. Very few
people knew of his talents. Being a devout Buddhist, he led a quiet
contented life and passed away serenely.
G A Mathupema
Gnanee Nanayakkara
When we remember her gentle eyes
Angel songs of laughter and smiles
Teardrops fall down my eyes
Now that we miss her kindly style
The special things she did for us
Thoughtfully we can never forget
A real granny she was to us
Brightened our lives a lot for us
Eyes of love with full happy tears
Golden daisies of sweeping eyelashes
Patient and tolerant she was to us
Worried and tired herself for us
A flower of Rose she was to us
But till in world death do apart us
We can never forget who was with us
The fairy grandmother you were to us
Dineshi Nanyakkara |