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ajor General Janaka Perera was one the army officer who aptly supported General Denzil Kobbekaduwa

! chk and double chk before poiting the finger at the usual suspects!!

Our beloved son's second name is in your honour.

hardly anyone remembers Lucky.

the next on the list will be Mihiranga Janaka Suresh Gunasekara.

And I one day hope the next on the list will be Mihiranga Janaka Suresh Gunasekara.

Suresh's last name is not Gunesekera... eh ???

Kobbekaduwa and Jayamaha were loaded onto the waiting helicopter, which took off immediately for Palaly, where the Rear Admiral was found to be dead. Though he was mortally wounded, Kobbekaduwa said, 'I'm all right, see what can be done to the others.' As the doctors were unable to do more for him at Palaly, Kobbekaduwa was taken to Colombo, where a team of leading specialists battled to save his life, but they were unsuccessful.

The death of Denzil Kobbekaduwa and nine others, including senior army and navy officers, sent shock waves all over the country. It was reported in the Sinhalese language newspaper 'Sulamina' and in the 'Observer,' the English language evening daily, dated August 9, 1992, that President Ranatunge Premadasa, at a meeting held in Moratuwa on August 8, had said that the vehicle drove over an LTTE mine.

Again, on August 18, Ranil Wickremasinghe, the Leader of the House, made a statement in parliament. He said that the media had reported that the deaths took place as a result of the vehicle going over a pressure mine. He also stated that the site of the explosion had already been videoed and the army had taken necessary steps to secure the evidence. The wreckage of the vehicle was still at the site. He also stated that there was an attempt by certain sections of the opposition to create doubts as to the manner of the death. Though provided with an opportunity, they had ot made any representation to a tribunal established to report on the explosion.

Already three inquiry commissions regarding the death of Kobbekaduwa and nine others have been held, but still the truth has not come out. The first inquiry was by a one-man committee, consisting of a retired judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Ismail, appointed by General S C Ranatunga, Secretary of the Ministry of Defense, by letter dated August 11, 1992.

The second inquiry was held by a Commission of Inquiry appointed by President D B Wijetunga, by warrant in terms of the Commission of Inquiry Act, Chapter 8 of the Legislative Enactment, held by three foreign (sitting) judges selected by the government.

The third Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry probing the assassination of Lieutenant-General Denzil Kobbekaduwa and nine others and causing serious injury to another at Araly, Keats on August 8, 1992 was appointed on December 7, 1994, by President Chandrika Kumaratunge. She appointed Justice George Randolph Tissa Dias Bandaranayake (chairman), Justice Dasanayake Padmasiri Swaarnajith Gunasekera and Rajasuriya Appuhamilage Nimal Gamini Amaratunge as commissioners.

At this juncture, it is worthwhile to refer to an excerpt of the third commission: 23. Medical attention for General Kobbekaduwa
At Palay General Kobbekaduwa was treated by Dr John Samarasinghe, anesthetist and Dr Roy Gunawardene, surgeon. General Dr Thurairajah says that Dr R Gunawardene said that the patient could be moved to Colombo. A neuro-surgeon and a thoracic surgeon were needed to attend on him - hence the transfer. Dr Samarasinghe accompanied Kobbekaduwa in an Avro (airplane) with nurses, oxygen, blood and equipment to Colombo. Samarasinghe wanted to transfer to Sri Jayawardenapura (hospital). On reaching Ratmalana, however, at midday, the general was taken out and put on a stretcher first and then placed on the tarmac in the burning sun, although the helicopter was ready waiting to take him to hospital.

Atapattu, (a major) of the Defense Ministry, rushed to the tarmac. Attapattu said that there were people in civilian clothes. One person examined Kobbekaduwa's eyes, one person gave an injection close to his heart. He assumed that they were army surgeons. Dr Samarasinghe said that, when the plane landed, Kobbekaduwa was alive. There was talk as to which hospital the patient was to be taken to. Both Samarasinghe and Atapattu did not know why Kobbekaduwa was not rushed to the General Hospital, without being kept on tarmac for 15 minutes. He was finally taken to the Air Force grounds by helicopter and by ambulance to the accident service.

The cause of death was given by the hospital doctors as death due to blast injuries. No post mortem examination was held. The coroner was not even informed of his death. As Kobbekaduwa was admitted to the General Hospital, we must assume that he was alive. The Criminal Procedure Code requires an inquest to be held in cases of sudden death. It would appear that the emergency regulations have been misused in this case and ante-mortem injuries taken into account to give cause of death. Gen Kobbekaduwa was cremated without an inquest. According to Dr Samarasinghe, there was no smooth evacuation process of Kobbekaduwa from Palaly to Colombo and treatment was delayed. There was much confusion regarding which hospital he was to be taken to. No one explained about the injection given at the tarmac. Who gave this injection? General Thurairajah says no injection was given as far as he knows. He did not go to Ratmalana. This conduct is consistent with a continuing conspiracy to secure Kobbekaduwa's death. We accept Major Atapattu's evidence that an injection was given to Kobbekaduw'as heart. Notes of the treatment given to Kobbekaduwa have not been made available.

There was unnecessary delay in evacuating him by helicopter to hospital. Kobbekaduwa had remarked once that he wanted to die in his boots. Perhaps he had a premonition about the manner of his death. With him the hopes of a nation seemed to die. Since then the war has continued for six long years. Yet, his legacy lives on. The men who were trained by him now follow in his footsteps and slowly but surely are taking the trail he blazed.

'President Premadasa had no business to give to the country the cause for the blast as soon as he did without any inquiry.' - The Report of the Special Commission of Inquiry probing into the assassination of Lieutenant General Denzil Kobbekaduwa and nine others and causing serious injury to another at Araly Kayts on August 8, 1992, (This report will be hereafter be referred to as Sessional Paper No. IX - 1997) page 78. - Sessional Paper No IX - 1997.

Meanwhile, according to the Commission report, the earlier findings that explosion was caused accidentally by vehicle going over an old buried LTTE mine lying in the disused track, is such an unlikely occurrence having regard to the evidence before the Commission. Of it were so, why did the mine not explode whilst the track was in use?

Furthermore, it came to the notice that the surveyor who prepared the map of the scene was confronted with the writing 'disused track'. Both Ismail J and the Commission of Inquiry have treated the track on which the crater seen as a 'disused track' not cleared of mines, which permitted an LTTE pressure mine to remain underground, undetected. The Surveyor Alwis stated that, he was given a rough sketch by Captain Weerasinghe when he went to the scene. On that rough sketch it was written the words 'disused track'.
...

The Commission in its report said that, many witnesses have told the Commission that, this track where the crater was scene was used by military vehicles during this period. So that it would naturally have been subject to daily clearing . Again it is so proximate to the metal road that a team clearing the road in a v shape formation stretching from the centre of the road would include this portion of track where the crater was.

Meanwhile, Brigadier Chula Senivaratne who was in the Military Intelligence was summoned one midnight in June 1992 by General Kobbekaduwa to his residence at Rosemead Place Colombo. He went to the General's residence around midnight. It seemed that Kobbekaduwa had told him that he received information of a threat to his life from within the army and wanted to know if military intelligence had any information.