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Sri Lanka dissident leader dies in accident

Sripathi Sooriayaarachchi

COLOMBO: A prominent dissident leader of the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and former Minister, Sripathi Sooriayaarachchi (45), died in a road accident that took place at Madagama in the Galgamuwa area on Saturday afternoon.

According to the police, the vehicle carrying Mr Sooriyaarachchi crashed into a tree around 1.15.p.m. after it slipped off the road due to high speed. The vehicle was going from Anuradhapura to Colombo on the route via Thambuththegama.

Two of the MP’s bodyguards and the driver of the vehicle were also killed and another two in the vehicle suffered serious injuries.

Police said the road was slippery due to rains in the area, and the MP’s vehicle seemed to have lost control when negotiating a sharp turn at a very high speed.

Mr. Sooriayaarachchi, along with former Foreign Minister, Mangala Samaraweera, raised a banner of revolt against the President in early 2007 and they were stripped of their ministerial portfolios on February 9, 2007. Subsequently, they floated a new party under the name SLFP (Mahajana) and joined hands with the principal opposition party, United National Party (UNP) under the banner of National Congress.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka military on Saturday claimed that at least 26 cadres of the LTTE were killed and many others injured in continued battles along the Forward Defence Lines (FDLs) in the north.

One soldier was reported killed in the clashes.

A statement by the Defence Ministry said here that at least 25 LTTE cadres were killed and many wounded in clashes at Wanni and Northern defence lines. Three soldiers also suffered injuries when troops confronted the LTTE while “advancing into enemy defences” at Janakapura and Andankulama.

The Ministry said intense fighting raged in Northern defences as troops continued to direct heavy artillery and mortars at LTTE bunkers.

Separately, Special Task Force (STF) personnel claimed to have stopped an LTTE movement at Kodamadu on Saturday, killing one Tiger cadre. In the national capital, a Tamil businessman and his wife were shot by two motorbike-riding gunmen on Friday night.

The businessman, identified as Kulanthaweli Veera Subramaniyam, died on the spot, while his wife suffered serious injuries.

Mr. Subramaniyam (54), was known to be a wealthy businessman. The couple was going to a pharmacy after attending prayers at St. Lucia Church when they were shot.

The police said an “internecine battle has started among the Colombo underworld gangs that have been dealing with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).”

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