Chamuditha questions delay in protection even after court directive

‘Would I be still alive for the next court hearing ?’

By Chitra Weerarathne and Shamindra Ferdinando

Hiru anchor Chamuditha Samarawickrema says that in spite of a directive issued by the Kesbewa Magistrate to the Witness Protection Division of the police to provide security to him, law enforcement authorities were yet to do so.

 One-time Director of President Maithripala Sirisena’s Media Unit, Samarawickrema yesterday (22) said he hadn’t been provided personal protection regardless of the court directive issued on Feb 18 consequent to Kuvera de Zoysa, PC, moving court over an attack on his house at the Gangarama Road, Wewala, Piliyandala, in the early hours of Feb 14.

Samarawickrema said that his life and the lives of his wife and their 14-year-old daughter were at risk as those who carried out the attack as well as the mastermind behind it remained at large over a week after the incident.

 Samarawickrema said that the CCTV footage made available to the police by him as well as those who lived along the road revealed that the intruders who arrived at the housing scheme comprised at least five persons. The driver of the vehicle captured on the CCTV was among them, Samarawickrema said.

 When The Island pointed out that the police headquarters had, on Monday night around 10 pm, announced that appropriate security had been provided to the housing scheme area after the IGP C.D. Wickremaratne received the court directive, Samarawickrema questioned the rationale behind deploying the police in the housing scheme area instead at the targeted house.

Police headquarters said that after having received the court directive action had been taken to forward it to the Witness Protection Authority through the Secretary to Public Security Ministry to obtain guidelines and advice. Pending specific instructions from the authority, the Senior, DIG, Western Province had been directed to provide ‘suitable’ security, the police headquarters said.

Samarawickrema said that those responsible quite conveniently had forgotten that he was under threat. Samarawickrema said that perhaps, by the time the case would be taken up again on March 25th, he wouldn’t be alive to continue the fight.

Appreciating the concerns expressed by journalists’ organizations here and abroad, Samarawickrema urged the government to apprehend those responsible without further delay.

Kuvera de Zoysa, President’s Counsel appeared with Henry Newman, Pasindu Bandara and Devika Kottegoda for Samarawickrema.

Samarawickremema said that the Witness Protection Division on Monday afternoon had recorded his statement at his home.