Features
Madhush Kills Kos Malli: An eye for an eye
by Hemantha Randunu
Translated by Uditha Devapriya
Makandure Madush is known as the Godfather of the underworld in modern-day Sri Lanka. A huge number of heinous crimes were done in Sri Lanka at his orders. He was also a major player in the heroin trade. After Madush was caught by the police he was detained at the CID for more than a year. Nothing came up from the interrogation. So he was handed over to the Colombo Crimes Division for further questioning.
Two or three days before his assassination, he revealed to a senior official information related to the crimes he had committed for nearly 20 years. He revealed all this in half an hour. This article is based on information taken from Madush’s confession.
One of the most brutal crimes in the history of the underworld in the country was the murder of Kos Malli and the exhibition of his decapitated head near the Hultsdorp court complex. Madush revealed step by step how he planned the murder of Kos Malli. It was really a revenge murder, planned in response to a murder of one of his confidantes, a man called Riskan. “Sir,” he remembered, “though Riskan was Muslim, he was like my brother. I will never forget the day he was murdered. Tears still well up in my eyes.
“Riskan helped me out once I was released from prison. After I was released I had nowhere to go and no place to live. Riskan took care of me when no one was there for me. Because of him I could enjoy life. After robbing a leasing company and killing Danny Hittatiyage’s brother-in-law, I was imprisoned in Negombo prison for six or seven years.
“During this time Kanjipani Imran became a good friend of mine. He was at Maligawatte. I got to know Riskan through Imran. Riskan gave me a place to stay in Colombo. My life began to turn for the better when I started working with him. By now I had gained enemies in the police, the criminal underworld, and a few politicians.
“My life was in great danger at that time. I wanted to get out of the country. I told Riskan about it. Riskan had good connections in Dubai. He was in the smuggling business with several Dubai businessmen. He arranged for me to go to Dubai. I had several cases in the courts and was banned from leaving the country. But Riskan arranged a forged passport under another name and prepared everything to fly me off to Dubai.
“He had arranged with several businessmen in Dubai to look after me and to accommodate me. When I said goodbye to him that day, I felt grateful to him. Later Kanjipani also came to Dubai. His presence emboldened me. Kanjipani Imran and I worked together to help Riskan, who mostly imported counterfeit cigarettes from Dubai to Sri Lanka.
“Later we got involved in the heroin business. Before long we became millionaires. I was able to get all the comforts of life in Dubai all because of Riskan.”
Madush thought for a moment. A flood of memories was swamping his mind.
“Riskan was killed on March 16, 2018. I have never been so sad. Only the day my mother was killed did I feel such sadness. Riskan had been brutally murdered because of me. The Kaduwela underworld killed him to get revenge on me and to hurt me. Riskan had no problems or any connections with the Kaduwela underworld. There was no reason why he should have been killed, other than his association with me.
“The Kaduwela Clique was full hate against for me after I planned and executed the murder of Samayan in Kalutara on the prison bus. At that time Gotha Asanka and Urujuwa ran the Kaduwela Underworld. They were the ones who planned the murder of Riskan. In the end Riskan had to pay for my sins.
“I was also involved in Riskan’s business in Sri Lanka. I had invested around Rs. 100 million in his newly started car rental service and other businesses. It didn’t matter if I lost my money. I was simply devastated that I lost a friend like that.
“I still remember that day like it was today. Riskan spoke to me twice or thrice that morning. That afternoon I got a call telling me that a group had come to the Kotahena office and shot him dead. I forgot where I was. I could not even imagine what had happened. I wanted to scream loudly and cry. I never dreamed he would be killed because of me.
Makandure Madhush was visibly saddened recalling the incident. The senior police officer saw grief, hatred, anger, and revenge was still lingering in his mind.
“Urujuwa and Gotha Asanka were in remand at that time. The two of them had set up the murder of Riskan. Two men from Kaduwela underworld had come on a bike and jumped into Riskan’s office and had shot him. However, one of the killers was captured by people in Kotahena and they had beaten him to death. The other had escaped on a bike from the crowd. A few days later, he was arrested by the police.
“I was so upset and enraged that my actions led to Riskan’s death, I wanted to kill everyone who had been involved in the murder. But at that time all involved were in remand. The only one out there that was connected to murder was Kos Malli. Actually, Kos Malli did not have anything to do with the murder. But his bike was used for the murder and I received information that he had spied on Riskan. Thus the only way to do justice to Riskan’s death was to kill Kos Malli.
I entrusted this task to Loku Ayya in Angunakolapelessa. Loku Ayya is very close to me. He was a JVP member during the 88/89 civil unrest. After our mother was killed, Loku Ayya took care of me. He helped me a lot when I was growing up. I treated him well for all that. I told him I wanted to avenge Riskan’s death. He had a good intelligence network in the underworld. And when he is assigned a task, he does it to perfection.
I told him that we have to do something that would shock the whole country. Those who killed Riskan will not be punished by the law. Kos Malli must therefore pay the price and his head must be presented to the court complex. Only then will justice be done. I handed over Kos Malli’s death contract to Loku Ayya. Kos Malli was in hiding.
“I deployed my own team to find Kos Malli. I have people to find anything anywhere in Sri Lanka. We found out that Kos Malli had a link with a boy named Madhu who worked at a massage center. Madhu knew where Kos Malli was. We contacted Madhu and made a plan to find out where Kos Malli was. There was a boy named Srimal in Angoda Boss’s gang. He was a distant relative of Madhu. Angoda Boss helped get Madhu involved in this case through Srimal. At that time Angoda Boss was in India. After Samayan’s murder he had fled to India with Ladiya. Angoda Lokka gave full support to do this plan from there. In the meantime, we found the whereabouts of Kos Malli through Srimal and Madhu.
“We were able to bring Kos Malli to Angunakolapelessa through Madhu saying that he would set up a hiding place for him. Kos Malli really believed that Madhu was helping him. He was caught to our trap. Srimal took a vehicle and brought Kos Malli to Angunakolapelessa and handed him over to Loku Ayya. Kos Malli didn’t have a clue who Loku Ayya was and what he was about to do.
On the day of the murder, I instructed Loku Ayya to feed and treat the man well. Ralahami and Amila Sampath were involved in the plan to aid Loku Ayya.
Amila Sampath has committed 30 to 40 murders. He was not afraid of anything. There was a large block of land near Angunakolapelessa Gotabhayagama. It was Loku Ayya’s. We had picked it as the place of Kos Malli’s murder and burial.
That night Loku Ayya, Ralahami and Amila Sampath came to the pasture with Kos Malli saying they have organized a party. But in the middle of the jungle he became suspicious and tried to escape. Loku Ayya threatened him by pointing a T-56 weapon at his head. He told Kos Malli he was here from the Army. Kos Malli became scared and obeyed his orders. Loku Ayya took a WhatsApp video call to me so I could talk to Kos Malli. He begged for forgiveness, but I wanted revenge. Amila Sampath had been assigned to shoot Kos Malli. Kos Malli was shot and I saw it happen through WhatsApp. I told Loku Ayya to cut off his head and parcel it. It arrived by car to the courts in Aluthkade.
“Remoshan, the son of Selli of Jampettah Street, was ready to take Kos Malli’s head on the Armour Street side. I had another boy ready to help him. I told Remoshan to put the head in front of the court. But by then it was the late in the morning and people were starting to walk around the place. So I told them to put the head somewhere nearby. The head was left on the side of the road. The whole of Sri Lanka was shocked that day. The police discovered the cause of death and the motivation behind it. Not only the police but the whole of Sri Lanka knew how powerful Madush’s team was now.
“Ralahami and Amila Sampath who killed Kos Malli stayed at the house of one of my relatives in Kamburupitiya for a while. But two or three days after the incident, Ralahami and Amila Sampath were caught by the police. A sergeant of the Kamburupitiya police had given information about the two. I called this sergeant on the phone from Dubai and threatened him. A lot can be bought for money sir. I’m not afraid of them.
“I slept well the night Kos Malli was killed and his head was brought to court. At last justice had been served for my brother Riskan’s death.”
by Dr Gotabhya Ranasinghe
Senior Consultant Cardiologist
National Hospital Sri Lanka
When we sought a meeting with Hon Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, Minister of Health, he graciously cleared his busy schedule to accommodate us. Renowned for his attentive listening and deep understanding, Minister Pathirana is dedicated to advancing the health sector. His openness and transparency exemplify the qualities of an exemplary politician and minister.
Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the current Health Secretary, demonstrates both commendable enthusiasm and unwavering support. This combination of attributes makes him a highly compatible colleague for the esteemed Minister of Health.
Our discussion centered on a project that has been in the works for the past 30 years, one that no other minister had managed to advance.
Minister Pathirana, however, recognized the project’s significance and its potential to revolutionize care for heart patients.
The project involves the construction of a state-of-the-art facility at the premises of the National Hospital Colombo. The project’s location within the premises of the National Hospital underscores its importance and relevance to the healthcare infrastructure of the nation.
This facility will include a cardiology building and a tertiary care center, equipped with the latest technology to handle and treat all types of heart-related conditions and surgeries.
Securing funding was a major milestone for this initiative. Minister Pathirana successfully obtained approval for a $40 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank. With the funding in place, the foundation stone is scheduled to be laid in September this year, and construction will begin in January 2025.
This project guarantees a consistent and uninterrupted supply of stents and related medications for heart patients. As a result, patients will have timely access to essential medical supplies during their treatment and recovery. By securing these critical resources, the project aims to enhance patient outcomes, minimize treatment delays, and maintain the highest standards of cardiac care.
Upon its fruition, this monumental building will serve as a beacon of hope and healing, symbolizing the unwavering dedication to improving patient outcomes and fostering a healthier society.We anticipate a future marked by significant progress and positive outcomes in Sri Lanka’s cardiovascular treatment landscape within the foreseeable timeframe.
by Fr. Emmanuel Fernando, OMI
Jesuit Fr. Aloysius Pieris (affectionately called Fr. Aloy) celebrated his 90th birthday on April 9, 2024 and I, as the editor of our Oblate Journal, THE MISSIONARY OBLATE had gone to press by that time. Immediately I decided to publish an article, appreciating the untiring selfless services he continues to offer for inter-Faith dialogue, the renewal of the Catholic Church, his concern for the poor and the suffering Sri Lankan masses and to me, the present writer.
It was in 1988, when I was appointed Director of the Oblate Scholastics at Ampitiya by the then Oblate Provincial Fr. Anselm Silva, that I came to know Fr. Aloy more closely. Knowing well his expertise in matters spiritual, theological, Indological and pastoral, and with the collaborative spirit of my companion-formators, our Oblate Scholastics were sent to Tulana, the Research and Encounter Centre, Kelaniya, of which he is the Founder-Director, for ‘exposure-programmes’ on matters spiritual, biblical, theological and pastoral. Some of these dimensions according to my view and that of my companion-formators, were not available at the National Seminary, Ampitiya.
Ever since that time, our Oblate formators/ accompaniers at the Oblate Scholasticate, Ampitiya , have continued to send our Oblate Scholastics to Tulana Centre for deepening their insights and convictions regarding matters needed to serve the people in today’s context. Fr. Aloy also had tried very enthusiastically with the Oblate team headed by Frs. Oswald Firth and Clement Waidyasekara to begin a Theologate, directed by the Religious Congregations in Sri Lanka, for the contextual formation/ accompaniment of their members. It should very well be a desired goal of the Leaders / Provincials of the Religious Congregations.
Besides being a formator/accompanier at the Oblate Scholasticate, I was entrusted also with the task of editing and publishing our Oblate journal, ‘The Missionary Oblate’. To maintain the quality of the journal I continue to depend on Fr. Aloy for his thought-provoking and stimulating articles on Biblical Spirituality, Biblical Theology and Ecclesiology. I am very grateful to him for his generous assistance. Of late, his writings on renewal of the Church, initiated by Pope St. John XX111 and continued by Pope Francis through the Synodal path, published in our Oblate journal, enable our readers to focus their attention also on the needed renewal in the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Fr. Aloy appreciated very much the Synodal path adopted by the Jesuit Pope Francis for the renewal of the Church, rooted very much on prayerful discernment. In my Religious and presbyteral life, Fr.Aloy continues to be my spiritual animator / guide and ongoing formator / acccompanier.
Fr. Aloysius Pieris, BA Hons (Lond), LPh (SHC, India), STL (PFT, Naples), PhD (SLU/VC), ThD (Tilburg), D.Ltt (KU), has been one of the eminent Asian theologians well recognized internationally and one who has lectured and held visiting chairs in many universities both in the West and in the East. Many members of Religious Congregations from Asian countries have benefited from his lectures and guidance in the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI) in Manila, Philippines. He had been a Theologian consulted by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences for many years. During his professorship at the Gregorian University in Rome, he was called to be a member of a special group of advisers on other religions consulted by Pope Paul VI.
Fr. Aloy is the author of more than 30 books and well over 500 Research Papers. Some of his books and articles have been translated and published in several countries. Among those books, one can find the following: 1) The Genesis of an Asian Theology of Liberation (An Autobiographical Excursus on the Art of Theologising in Asia, 2) An Asian Theology of Liberation, 3) Providential Timeliness of Vatican 11 (a long-overdue halt to a scandalous millennium, 4) Give Vatican 11 a chance, 5) Leadership in the Church, 6) Relishing our faith in working for justice (Themes for study and discussion), 7) A Message meant mainly, not exclusively for Jesuits (Background information necessary for helping Francis renew the Church), 8) Lent in Lanka (Reflections and Resolutions, 9) Love meets wisdom (A Christian Experience of Buddhism, 10) Fire and Water 11) God’s Reign for God’s poor, 12) Our Unhiddden Agenda (How we Jesuits work, pray and form our men). He is also the Editor of two journals, Vagdevi, Journal of Religious Reflection and Dialogue, New Series.
Fr. Aloy has a BA in Pali and Sanskrit from the University of London and a Ph.D in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Sri Lankan, Vidyodaya Campus. On Nov. 23, 2019, he was awarded the prestigious honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt) by the Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, the Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Dharmakirthi Sri Kusala Dhamma Thera.
Fr. Aloy continues to be a promoter of Gospel values and virtues. Justice as a constitutive dimension of love and social concern for the downtrodden masses are very much noted in his life and work. He had very much appreciated the commitment of the late Fr. Joseph (Joe) Fernando, the National Director of the Social and Economic Centre (SEDEC) for the poor.
In Sri Lanka, a few religious Congregations – the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Christian Brothers, the Marist Brothers and the Oblates – have invited him to animate their members especially during their Provincial Congresses, Chapters and International Conferences. The mainline Christian Churches also have sought his advice and followed his seminars. I, for one, regret very much, that the Sri Lankan authorities of the Catholic Church –today’s Hierarchy—- have not sought Fr.
Aloy’s expertise for the renewal of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka and thus have not benefited from the immense store of wisdom and insight that he can offer to our local Church while the Sri Lankan bishops who governed the Catholic church in the immediate aftermath of the Second Vatican Council (Edmund Fernando OMI, Anthony de Saram, Leo Nanayakkara OSB, Frank Marcus Fernando, Paul Perera,) visited him and consulted him on many matters. Among the Tamil Bishops, Bishop Rayappu Joseph was keeping close contact with him and Bishop J. Deogupillai hosted him and his team visiting him after the horrible Black July massacre of Tamils.
Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
By Gomi Senadhira
senadhiragomi@gmail.com
“You might tell fairy tales, but the progress of a country cannot be achieved through such narratives. A country cannot be developed by making false promises. The country moved backward because of the electoral promises made by political parties throughout time. We have witnessed that the ultimate result of this is the country becoming bankrupt. Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet.” – President Ranil Wickremesinghe, 2024 Budget speech
Any Sri Lankan would agree with the above words of President Wickremesinghe on the false promises our politicians and officials make and the fairy tales they narrate which bankrupted this country. So, to understand this, let’s look at one such fairy tale with lots of false promises; Ranil Wickremesinghe’s greatest achievement in the area of international trade and investment promotion during the Yahapalana period, Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA).
It is appropriate and timely to do it now as Finance Minister Wickremesinghe has just presented to parliament a bill on the National Policy on Economic Transformation which includes the establishment of an Office for International Trade and the Sri Lanka Institute of Economics and International Trade.
Was SLSFTA a “Cleverly negotiated Free Trade Agreement” as stated by the (former) Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate on the SLSFTA in July 2018, or a colossal blunder covered up with lies, false promises, and fairy tales? After SLSFTA was signed there were a number of fairy tales published on this agreement by the Ministry of Development Strategies and International, Institute of Policy Studies, and others.
However, for this article, I would like to limit my comments to the speech by Minister Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate, and the two most important areas in the agreement which were covered up with lies, fairy tales, and false promises, namely: revenue loss for Sri Lanka and Investment from Singapore. On the other important area, “Waste products dumping” I do not want to comment here as I have written extensively on the issue.
1. The revenue loss
During the Parliamentary Debate in July 2018, Minister Samarawickrama stated “…. let me reiterate that this FTA with Singapore has been very cleverly negotiated by us…. The liberalisation programme under this FTA has been carefully designed to have the least impact on domestic industry and revenue collection. We have included all revenue sensitive items in the negative list of items which will not be subject to removal of tariff. Therefore, 97.8% revenue from Customs duty is protected. Our tariff liberalisation will take place over a period of 12-15 years! In fact, the revenue earned through tariffs on goods imported from Singapore last year was Rs. 35 billion.
The revenue loss for over the next 15 years due to the FTA is only Rs. 733 million– which when annualised, on average, is just Rs. 51 million. That is just 0.14% per year! So anyone who claims the Singapore FTA causes revenue loss to the Government cannot do basic arithmetic! Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I call on my fellow members of this House – don’t mislead the public with baseless criticism that is not grounded in facts. Don’t look at petty politics and use these issues for your own political survival.”
I was surprised to read the minister’s speech because an article published in January 2018 in “The Straits Times“, based on information released by the Singaporean Negotiators stated, “…. With the FTA, tariff savings for Singapore exports are estimated to hit $10 million annually“.
As the annual tariff savings (that is the revenue loss for Sri Lanka) calculated by the Singaporean Negotiators, Singaporean $ 10 million (Sri Lankan rupees 1,200 million in 2018) was way above the rupees’ 733 million revenue loss for 15 years estimated by the Sri Lankan negotiators, it was clear to any observer that one of the parties to the agreement had not done the basic arithmetic!
Six years later, according to a report published by “The Morning” newspaper, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) on 7th May 2024, Mr Samarawickrama’s chief trade negotiator K.J. Weerasinghehad had admitted “…. that forecasted revenue loss for the Government of Sri Lanka through the Singapore FTA is Rs. 450 million in 2023 and Rs. 1.3 billion in 2024.”
If these numbers are correct, as tariff liberalisation under the SLSFTA has just started, we will pass Rs 2 billion very soon. Then, the question is how Sri Lanka’s trade negotiators made such a colossal blunder. Didn’t they do their basic arithmetic? If they didn’t know how to do basic arithmetic they should have at least done their basic readings. For example, the headline of the article published in The Straits Times in January 2018 was “Singapore, Sri Lanka sign FTA, annual savings of $10m expected”.
Anyway, as Sri Lanka’s chief negotiator reiterated at the COPF meeting that “…. since 99% of the tariffs in Singapore have zero rates of duty, Sri Lanka has agreed on 80% tariff liberalisation over a period of 15 years while expecting Singapore investments to address the imbalance in trade,” let’s turn towards investment.
Investment from Singapore
In July 2018, speaking during the Parliamentary Debate on the FTA this is what Minister Malik Samarawickrama stated on investment from Singapore, “Already, thanks to this FTA, in just the past two-and-a-half months since the agreement came into effect we have received a proposal from Singapore for investment amounting to $ 14.8 billion in an oil refinery for export of petroleum products. In addition, we have proposals for a steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million), sugar refinery ($ 200 million). This adds up to more than $ 16.05 billion in the pipeline on these projects alone.
And all of these projects will create thousands of more jobs for our people. In principle approval has already been granted by the BOI and the investors are awaiting the release of land the environmental approvals to commence the project.
I request the Opposition and those with vested interests to change their narrow-minded thinking and join us to develop our country. We must always look at what is best for the whole community, not just the few who may oppose. We owe it to our people to courageously take decisions that will change their lives for the better.”
According to the media report I quoted earlier, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chief Negotiator Weerasinghe has admitted that Sri Lanka was not happy with overall Singapore investments that have come in the past few years in return for the trade liberalisation under the Singapore-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. He has added that between 2021 and 2023 the total investment from Singapore had been around $162 million!
What happened to those projects worth $16 billion negotiated, thanks to the SLSFTA, in just the two-and-a-half months after the agreement came into effect and approved by the BOI? I do not know about the steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million) and sugar refinery ($ 200 million).
However, story of the multibillion-dollar investment in the Petroleum Refinery unfolded in a manner that would qualify it as the best fairy tale with false promises presented by our politicians and the officials, prior to 2019 elections.
Though many Sri Lankans got to know, through the media which repeatedly highlighted a plethora of issues surrounding the project and the questionable credentials of the Singaporean investor, the construction work on the Mirrijiwela Oil Refinery along with the cement factory began on the24th of March 2019 with a bang and Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his ministers along with the foreign and local dignitaries laid the foundation stones.
That was few months before the 2019 Presidential elections. Inaugurating the construction work Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the projects will create thousands of job opportunities in the area and surrounding districts.
The oil refinery, which was to be built over 200 acres of land, with the capacity to refine 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day, was to generate US$7 billion of exports and create 1,500 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs. The construction of the refinery was to be completed in 44 months. Four years later, in August 2023 the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to cancel the agreement with the investors of the refinery as the project has not been implemented! Can they explain to the country how much money was wasted to produce that fairy tale?
It is obvious that the President, ministers, and officials had made huge blunders and had deliberately misled the public and the parliament on the revenue loss and potential investment from SLSFTA with fairy tales and false promises.
As the president himself said, a country cannot be developed by making false promises or with fairy tales and these false promises and fairy tales had bankrupted the country. “Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet”.
(The writer, a specialist and an activist on trade and development issues . )
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