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Inquiries into Premadasa, Dissanayake killings closed

V.S. Sambandan

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan investigators have closed probes into the assassinations of Ranasinghe Premadasa, and Gamini Dissanayake, media reports here said.

Ranasinghe Premadasa was assassinated on May Day, 1993 and Gamini Dissanayake in October 1994 by suspected LTTE suicide bombers.

Asked for the Government's reaction, Cabinet spokesperson Nimal Siripala de Silva said at a press conference on September 1 that he had no details apart from newspaper reports and that he would give a reply after being briefed by the Attorney-General.

While the Premadasa assassination probe was dropped as the investigators told the court that "there was no evidence to indict any of the suspects," the Gamini Dissanayake case was "abandoned" as the "files had been lost," Sunday Times reported.

In the Ranasinghe Premadasa case, a Magistrate discharged all 21 suspects who were on bail. Only eight had appeared before the court and the rest could not be informed "as they lived in LTTE-controlled areas in Kilinochchi," the newspaper said.

It also said that the Solicitor-General had informed the CID Director that the "state would not be proceeding with legal action against the suspects due to lack of evidence and advised the CID to act accordingly."

Reporting that the Gamini Dissanayake case was "abandoned," the newspaper said the Solicitor-General had informed the CID that "the relevant files had been lost" and that "no suspects were taken to custody."

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