The latest reports emerging from Colombo seem to confirm the allegation that the Presidentâ??s Security team and especially its inner junta consisting of Basil and Gothabaya Rajapaksa have had strong links with the assassins who recently murdered Dr. Ketheeswaran Loganathan, Deputy Head of the Colombo-based Peace Secretariat.
Reportedly hours before being shot to death, Ketheeswaran was on the phone talking to a senior member of the presidentâ??s inner junta to express his disgust over the killing of the 17 aid workers by the government forces and stated that he no longer believes that the government has any genuine interest in peace negotiations. He is said to have had inside information regarding the premeditated killings of the 17 NGO employees. In a heated argument Ketheeswaren seem to have stated that if this happens to the aid workers what chance the ordinary Tamil civilians have in Sri Lanka. He also threatened to have said that he intends to make public his resignation as Deputy Head of the new Peace Secretariat, though Sri Lankaâ??s hawkish President Mahinda Rajapaksha had asked Ketheeswaran to delay this decision for a couple of days.

President Rajapaksha was visibly irritated by Ketheeswaranâ??s decision as at that time he was facing intense pressure from international organisations and the world media over the killing of the French aid workers of Action de Faim. It is said that immediately following this conversation, an unexpected visit was made by the governmentâ??s notorious intelligence unit to Ketheeswaranâ??s house. This happened minutes before the assassination took place. Itâ??s now believed that the main aim of the assassination was to divert the world media attention from the masscare of the NGO workers and to deliberately put the blame of Ketheeswaranâ??s death on LTTE to discredit the latter.

According to Ketheeswarenâ??s family none of the killers were Tamils. It is now a routine practice in Sri Lanka that the officials who carry out such killings are also paid in full to investigate their own atrocities. Other independent sources confirm that Ketheeswaran Loganathanâ??s name has been on JVPâ??s top hit list! When contacted JVD refused to comment.