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Young business leader Hardy Jamaldeen has written to Public Security Minister Tiran Alles in response to the latter’s allegations during a media conference recently.
Jamaldeen’s action follows serious damage caused by Alles’ allegations to the reputation of W15 brand of hotels, and owning company Lanka Realty Investments PLC in which he is the Managing Director and concerns from foreign investors.
Last month Minister Alles, along with Acting Inspector General of Police, held a press conference in connection with the ‘Yukthiya’ Operation being conducted by the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) of the Sri Lanka Police. In his letter, also copied to President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, and National Police Commission among others, Jamaldeen says Alles made several false, misleading and irresponsible statements during the press conference with reference to an incident that took place in the vicinity of ‘W15 Weligama’ hotel, which statements are of serious concern to “us, as a public listed company, and also to me, personally.”
It was recalled that incident took place in the early hours of 31 December, 2023, on the public road, outside the ‘W15 Weligama’ hotel, when it is alleged that a covert operation led by the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) to apprehend criminals in the drug trade was being carried out.
“Being the height of tourist season in Sri Lanka, our hotel was fully booked with 100% foreign clientele, when certain officers in plain clothes who were in an unmarked vehicle in the area, which later transpired to be attached to the CCD, started firing gunshots in an ad hoc manner. Although these gunshots caused damage to our property, fortunately, none of our guests or employees were injured. However, a Police Patrol unit from the Weligama Police, on witnessing gunshots being fired from an unmarked vehicle, had retaliated with gunfire assuming that this was an armed gang since no communications of an operation had been received. The shootout led to the loss of a police officer’s life. This incident has shocked the nation and a special investigation unit has been appointed to investigate the same,” stated Jamaldeen’s letter.
He said although the Police had hitherto maintained that this incident had nothing to do with ‘W15 Weligama’ hotel, the Minister has clearly insinuated otherwise in the said press conference by implicating the hotel without providing even an iota of evidence to support the spurious allegation.” In particular, the Minister has falsely and irresponsibly alleged that there have been 15 instances of persons with narcotic drugs being apprehended during raids at our ‘W15 Weligama’ hotel premises. We wish to categorically place on record that your statement is false and false to your own knowledge. Furthermore, you have by innuendo alleged that we are connected to the notorious drug dealer known as ‘harak kata’, which allegation is also utterly false,” Jamaldeen alleged in his letter.
The Minister was informed that Weligama bay is a public beach. The Hotel cannot control any incidents that take place in a public beach/area.
Jamaldeen’s letter also said the following.
You have also referred to the meeting I had with you, in my capacity as the Managing Director of Lanka Realty Investments PLC. I specifically state that I had no reason whatsoever to ask you to ‘save the hotel’ as falsely alleged by you. To the contrary, I met with you to demand an explanation as to why the CCD had acted in this reckless manner without any regard to the law or the safety of the public and foreign tourists, for which you are answerable as the Minister in charge of the portfolio of Public Security. I had also requested for an impartial inquiry to be conducted into this incident, but there has been no meaningful steps taken in this regard.
Further, you have wrongly alleged that the ‘W15 Weligama’ hotel is owned by me personally, whereas it is owned by our wholly-owned subsidiary Almond Trees Ltd. However, as the Managing Director of our company Lanka Realty Investments PLC, I am the face of our company and a respectable and successful business personality, and you have by innuendo implicated me personally since it is clearly understood that you have referred to me (M.H. Jamaldeen) personally as the ‘owner’ of the W15 hotel. As a result, I have personally had several friends and business acquaintances who have called me to inquire about the said false statements made by you during your press conference.
Your several statements made as aforesaid during the said press conference, which are totally false, unlawful, malicious, threatening and irresponsible, are also tantamount to defamatory statements made against our companies, our Directors, and to me personally. Your said statements are per se and in their natural and ordinary meaning defamatory, and also defamatory by innuendoes. We have been greatly injured in our good name, credit, reputation, business, status, respect, goodwill and loss of business reputation and have been brought into public scandal disgrace ridicule and contempt as a result of your said statements, which have also caused and continue to cause significant harm to our businesses. We wish to place on record that your defamatory statements have caused severe harm and irreparable damage to the reputation of our company and also the ‘W15’ hotels.
You have also made a thinly veiled threat, to arrest the ‘owner’, which has been taken serious note of by our foreign investors. You have obviously failed to appreciate the serious damage such irresponsible statements, coming from a Cabinet Minister, would have on the tourism industry of Sri Lanka.
We are also constrained to point out that you were not entitled to use your office as Minister of Public Security to defame our group of companies, its Directors, the owners and managers of the ‘W15’ hotels and myself personally. In any event, we are entitled to hold you personally responsible for your unlawful and wrongful acts.
Accordingly, you are hereby required to cease and desist from any such further and similar defamatory statements.
This communication is sent strictly without prejudice to our rights, and does not constitute a waiver of any of our rights under law. We hereby expressly reserve the legal rights of our group of companies, its Directors, the owners and managers of the ‘W15’ hotels and myself personally, to make appropriate claims against you in your personal capacity for loss and damage our group of companies, its Directors, the owners and managers of the ‘W15’ hotels and myself personally have suffered and continue to suffer as a result of your said defamatory statements.
