Features
Sathasivam murder 70 years on
By Kks Perera
On October 9, 1951, exactly 70 years ago, around one o’clock in the afternoon Mrs. Anandam Sathasivam, a mother of four little girls, who had filed divorce action against her husband a month before, was found dead on the garage floor of her home with a mortar placed on her neck. Her four-year old kid’s remark, “Mummy is having fever, she is sleeping in the garage” prompted the lady next door to rush to the scene to find her mother’s lifeless body lying face-up in the garage.
A few hours before, she was lying face-up on the floor of her upstairs bedroom, according to the servant boy William’s testimony. He alleged that her husband, famous cricketer M. Sathasivam, was pressing his left knee hard against her chest and shoulder with her right arm pinned between her chest and his knee. The 19-year old William, a recently employed domestic, obeyed the command “Allapan yakko” [‘hold her you devil], and held the lady by her legs for some minutes until the deed was done.
Was there a role that power, money and fame played in her husband, Madhavan Sathasivam’s acquittal?
Sathasivam, an accomplished batsman with stylish stroke play, was once described thus by Sir Frank Worrell, the West Indian great: ‘If I’m asked to pick a world X1, the first on the list is Sathasivam.’ Born on October 18, 1915, ‘Satha’ who started his cricket at St. Joseph’s later moved to Wesley for his final school years. At age 26, he married Paripoornam Anandam Rajendra, a granddaughter of freedom fighter, and national hero, Sir Ponnambalan Ramanathan. In 1949 they moved to Anandam’s house ‘Jayamangalam’ at 7, St. Alban’s Place in Bambalapitiya.
The defense was headed by Trotskyite Parliamentarian, Dr Colvin R de Silva. Sir Sydney Smith, renowned Professor of Forensic Medicine at Edinburgh University, flew here to testify for the defence at the cricketer’s sensational trial where Sathasivam was acquitted by the jury. Prolific run-getter and playboy, Sathasivam was a hard drinking personality who attracted thousands of fans to watch him hammer bowlers to all corners of the field. Off the field, he would drink and dance till dawn.
Former Indian Captain Gul Ahmed once said “I will never forget how he thrashed me in India. I have bowled to Hutton, Bradman, Keith Miller, the Windies three W’s – Weekes, Worrell and Walcott and got them out; but the most difficult man was Ceylon’s Sathasivam.
William, a crown witness in the case, had a hard time under cross examination by the country’s top criminal lawyers of the day, Dr. Colvin. R. de Silva. While the four-year old child had told a senior maid in the household, Podi Hami, that “mummy was sick and carried to the garage by daddy and ‘hora,’ she failed to recount this at next day’s inquest.
Professor Smith favoured the theory that William had committed the crime in the kitchen. Motive? Sex, jewelry or both. Sir Richard Aluvihare, IGP, was allegedly influenced by interested parties to pick Prof. de Saram, Head of Forensic Medicine of the University of Ceylon, [a pupil of Sir Sydney] to conduct the post mortem by-passing Dr. P S Gunawardene, JMO, Colombo. De Saram did the autopsy by himself and concluded that the victim had been strangled while she was in a standing position, supporting the theory that William murdered her.
Sathasivam was not employed and dependent on mother and wife to support his playboy lifestyle. The defence’s position was that William placed the wooden mortar on the victim’s neck, covering her face and took off with the loot. The prosecution case was that the husband on failing to convince her to withdraw the divorce she had filed, had decided to murder her inside her own house around 9.30 on that fateful morning.
Letters she mailed to him, while Sathasivam was holidaying in England were produced at the trial: excerpts reveal her frame of mind.
“. . . through sheer desperation and bitterness I put my pen….You are not going to be ‘henpecked’, but why torture me?. . I will release you from the bond. . . you leave me at home. . because you want something better than me…,.You want gaiety and variety. . . “.Four walls and money will only build a house,..but need a loving wife to make a home. .., Silver Fawn, dancing, playing cards, playing mixed games, ‘giving lifts’, drinking, this I cannot bear.”. . .
Beautiful Yvonne Stevenson who was in a clandestine affair with Satha was constantly pressurizing his partner to divorce Anandam and marry her. On the previous dayAnandam’s lawyers Mack & Mack delivered summons to Satha in a divorce action, which made him realize that he will be forced to pay maintenance for the children and alimony apart from losing his share as husband on her properties. As a last resort he made a final attempt to reconcile with wife and from Horton Place wherehe was staying visited St Alban’s Place in the early hours on October 9.
Sathasivam and William were taken into custody on suspicion. Some state prosecutors, a few top policemen and a host of influential men and leading sports stars were sympathetic towards the world renowned batting legend. The case was a forensic drama, where, Sir Sydney Smith played a principal role, ended with Sathasivam getting the ‘benefit of the doubt.’ The jury’s verdict was based on Justice E. F. N. Gratiaen’s summing up at the end of the 58-day trial at SC.
Dr. Colvin’ R. de Silva flew to the UK to brief Prof. Smith on Dr. de Saram’s evidence. Professor Smith says in his book, ‘Mostly Murder’ that: “this case interested me…De Saram was a former pupil of mine, I had formed a high opinion of his ability… from the evidence… I concluded that the case against the accused was by no means good…”
The Defence maintained that the husband had left the wife’s home in a ‘Quickshaw’ taxi; it was around 10.30 am. [The driver had testified that Mrs. Sathasivam came to the door to see her husband off.] When William was scraping a coconut in the kitchen, the lady had bent down to check his work.
As reconstructed by the eminent forensic expert, William, employed only 11 days before without any references had got sexually excited on seeing her and molested her. The seven sovereign gold necklace was another motivating factor. He strangled her from behind with both hands, before pulling the lifeless body through the narrow door-way to the garage.
Seventy years ago, unlike today, sports was a privilege confined to Colombo’s high society. The sportsmen belonged to powerful, elite ‘clubbing’ class; There was an obvious gap in the strength of the prosecution and defence at the trial. The investigation was flawed by meddling from the elite that included all ‘stakeholders’. A senior cop allegedly took William to the backyard of a police station soon after arrest and convinced the village boy to accept responsibility in return for a good job in the city. The learned judge used his skills specifically in addressing the jury emphasizing points that created a doubt.
Two eminent surgeons, Professors Paul and Pieris testified for the prosecution but their evidence was placed in doubt by the defence counsel, Dr. Colvin. R. de Silva. His performance in the case cost him his Wellawatte-Galkissa constituency with many middle class Tamil voters in the area convinced that he had saved an accused who was guilty in their own minds.
When Dr. Colvin visited Edinburgh with his assistant to brief Sir Sidney, the professor wanted him to drape a female medical student in a saree as Mrs Sathasivam wore one at the time she was was murdered. Colvin had reportedly said: “Sir Sydney, we only know how to undress them!”
It was a gripping drama from beginning to end. Was Sathasivam the killer or was it William who turned crown witness? Old and feeble at 89 [at the time of writing],he lives in Thihagoda, a hamlet in the South. Seven decades later medico-legal ‘pundits’ describe the conclusion of this historic and dramatic 57-day trial full of intricacies as a” victory for justice.”
Writer can be reached on- kksperera1@gmail.com
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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