Information on whether Sinhalese were arrested or are wanted in relation to having connections with suspected Tigers concerning the 24 October 1994 assassination of United National Party (UNP) presidential candidate Gamini Dissanayake [LKA20450.E]

Information on the above-mentioned subject could not be found among the sources consulted by the DIRB. However, the following may be of interest.

The attached documents and Country Reports 1994, available at Regional Documentation Centres indicate that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are the primary suspects in the October 1994 suicide bombing that killed Gamini Dissanayake at a campaign rally (Country Reports 1994 1995, 1260). However, other suspects in this killing include "Sinhalese Buddhists chauvinists (who assassinated Mrs Kumaratunga's father in 1959), senior army officers (who tried to stage a military coup just before August's parliamentary elections), ... anti-Tiger paramilitary groups," and members of the UNP itself (The Economist 29 Oct. 1994, 33); see also the attachment from Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation International Service.

A 28 October 1994 Daily News article reports that the Crime Detective Bureau (CDB) searched all the boarding houses in the city of Colombo and took 25 persons into custody for questioning in connection with the UNP leader's assassination. The report does not provide information on the identity of the persons taken in for questioning.

According to the Colombo-based Sri Lanka Information Monitor and the London-based Sri Lanka Information Monitor, following the 24 October 1994 bomb blast that killed Dissanayake, the police raided and arrested a number of Tamils in lodging houses and youth hostels (Nov. 1994, 10; Oct. 1994, 1). These two sources do not indicate whether there were any Sinhalese arrested during these raids (ibid.).

This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find attached the list of sources consulted in researching this information request.

References


Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1994. 1995. United States Department of State. Washington, Dc: United States Government Printing Office.

The Daily News [Colombo]. 28 October 1994. "25 Persons Taken in for Questioning."

The Economist [London]. 29 October 1994. "Murder and Mystery in Sri Lanka."

Sri Lanka Information Monitor (INFORM). November 1994. Situation Report. Colombo: INFORM.

The Sri Lanka Monitor [London]. October 1994. No. 81. "Gamini Dies in Election Blast."

Attachments

The Daily News [Colombo]. 28 October 1994. "25 Persons Taken in for Questioning."

The Economist [London]. 29 October 1994. "Murder and Mystery in Sri Lanka," pp. 33-34.

Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation International Service [Colombo, in English]. 26 October 1994. "Police Unable to `Positively Identify' Assassins." (FBIS-NES-94-207 26 Oct. 1994, p. 45)

Sri Lanka Information Monitor (INFORM). November 1994. Situation Report. Colombo: INFORM, p. 10.

The Sri Lanka Monitor [London]. October 1994. No. 81. "Gamini Dies in Election Blast," p. 1.

Other Sources Consulted

DIRB country file. October 1994-present.

On-line sources.