Political activist claimed abducted has not come to Sri Lanka, police say

Police spokesman Superintendent of Police Ajith Rohana said yesterday that the police had no information regarding Premakumar Gunaratnam, claimed to be abducted, had arrived in Sri Lanka in recent times.

The police spokesman said that therefore police could not tell anything exactly on the disappearance of the person.

Gunaratnam was an activist of the Marxist party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) earlier and later he broke away from the party with a large group of dissidents. He has reportedly remained hidden from the public as the elusive leader of the dissident group for the fear of attempts on his life.

His colleagues formed a new party, the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) which held its inaugural convention today, and appointed him as the leader.

Gunaratnam’s wife Champa Somarathna, a migrant doctor of Sri Lanka now living in Australia with their two children, has complained to the government of Australia regarding the alleged abduction of her husband, who she claims is a citizen of Australia.

The police spokesman said that Gunaratnam had used two other names as well.

Gunaratnam and the dissident party’s women’s leader Dimuthu Attygalle went missing on April 06.

The Australian High Commissioner to Colombo Robyn Mudie has taken up the disappearance of Gunaratnam with the Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa who has responded that there was no record of him arriving in the country.  (Colombo Page)