Former Army commander and present ambassador to Brazil – Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya has declined a request made by the CID to arrive at the CID premises to give a statement on the abduction and murder of journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda, Sri Lanka Mirror reports..
Jayasuriya was functioning as the Army commander when the abduction had taken place.
Officials had made the request after it was learnt that the ambassador had come down to Sri Lanka at state expense and Foreign ministry approval, reports add.
Sources further add that the former Army commander has said, “I am on vacation in Sri Lanka. I cannot waste my time at the CID during my vacation. If you want a statement from me, send me a ticket at state expense. Usually I only travel by business class or first class. Also, book a hotel close to the CID for me to stay.”
At the same time the Sunday Leader questiones as to how a audio handed over the the courts by the Army has been leaked to some websites.
Defence officials are dumbfounded as to how a tape recording of missing journalist Prageeth Ekanaligoda, which was only in the hands of the military, has now appeared on some websites, says the Sunday Leader.
It further reports;
“Last year the military had claimed that there was a tape recording of a conversation between Ekanaligoda and the LTTE and later that tape recording was handed over to the Homagama Magistrate.
The tape recording of the alleged conversation between Ekanaligoda and the LTTE was handed over to the court during the last hearing on the disappearance of Eknaligoda.
The tape recording was kept with the court but the fact that it was later published on websites raised suspicions whether it was leaked to the websites by the military, senior defence lawyers said.
When contacted, military spokesman Brigadier Jayanath Jayaweera said that since the matter is before courts he could not make any comments.
Meanwhile police sources said that they were also astonished over the appearance of posters at several locations of Mrs. Sandya Eknaligoda calling her an LTTE supporter and that she was betraying the army.
Police sources said that such incidents would easily have been caught on CCTV cameras and it is shocking that the pasting of these posters were not captured on CCTV.”
Mean while a weekend English news paper owned by a Rajapaksa loyalist has started a disinformation campaign saying the Prageeth Eknaligoda was not a journalist and his disappearance is a voluntary action.