Fracas at Tangalle beach resort

The beach resorts that dot the picturesque Tangalle beach were packed with foreign tourists who were getting ready to celebrate Christmas last week. There was plenty of sunshine to the delight of tourists who revelled in sea bathing while some lay on the beach exposing themselves to sunlight to acquire a tan complexion before returning to their countries.

The tourists were also seen hobnobbing and mingling freely with the locals and nothing untoward happened till late night on December 24, when an incident shattered the peaceful environment of the beach resort and shocked the nation as a whole.

Bottle

The ugly incident occurred at a beach resort in Madilla in the Tangalle area on December 24 night where a drunken brawl culminated with the killing of a British tourist who was stabbed to death with a broken bottle. The deceased was identified as Kuram Zaman, a 32 year old British national of Israel origin who checked into a hotel at Tangalle two days prior to the incident.

The British national had been an employee of the International Red Cross who had worked at the Gaza strip in Israel.

Vacation

In fact it was his maiden visit to Sri Lanka. Kuram Zaman had come to Sri Lanka on the invitation of the Manager of the Tangalle hotel who was known to him personally. Both had met some years ago in Scotland, in the United Kingdom, while they were students.

Following his arrival in Sri Lanka, Zaman had met a Russian woman named Victoria Alexandria whom he invited to spend a vacation with him at the Tangalle beach resort. The woman accepted his invitation and both of them travelled all the way to down South and checked into the beach hotel at Tangalle where Zaman’s friend worked.

It was revealed the Britisher had gone out of his way to help his friend, the manager of the hotel to decorate the hotel and organise a party on the eve of Christmas night.

When dusk fell, foreign tourists and locals flocked into the hotel restaurant to spend a pleasant evening. But things did not turn out as planned.

The Tangalle Pradeshiya Sabha member and his coterie of friends also visited the restaurant to spend a late evening and most of them had partaken of liquor and their behaviour was unruly that night, police sources said.

Remark

A brawl erupted when a person seated adjoining the table of the Tangalle Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman passed a remark at him. The Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman was snubbed by him when someone tried to introduce him.

However, the remark enraged the Pradeshiya Sabha member and a heated argument broke out between the two men. Persons who accompanied the Pradeshiya Sabha chairman also joined the fray and a loud commotion broke out in the hotel. The serenity of the hotel was disturbed as a result of the commotion which drove fear into the minds of tourists who had checked into the hotel that day.

On hearing the loud fracas, the Britisher and his girl friend stepped out of their room and came to the restaurant to see what was going on.

What they witnessed was an ugly brawl between two persons whom they did not know at all. Kuran Zaman a well-built six footer and his girl friend Alexandria tried to intervene and to bring about a settlement as they were concerned about the safety of others present on the occasion.

Moreover, he would have been concerned of the hotel Manager safety as well, police said.

At this stage those who came along with the Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman set upon the Britisher and his girl friend and assaulted them mercilessly with bottles and chairs, causing severe injuries.

The Britisher sustained a deep gash on his neck when someone cut him with a broken bottle.

He bled profusely following a cut artery on his neck. In the rush some one also fired a shot at his head with a T-56 weapon and the bullet had bruised his head according to an autopsy report. The Britisher and his girl friend sustained critical wounds, following the onslaught.

The Russian girl was beaten on the head with bottles and chairs.

When both of them fell unconscious the Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman with his gang fled the scene.

The injured man succumbed to his injuries at the Karapitiya hospital while the Russian woman was admitted to the Intensive Care of the Karapitiya hospital.

At present she is being treated at a private hospital in Colombo.

Miscreants

Finally when the police arrived at the scene, the miscreants had already fled the scene in a vehicle. They could not be traced immediately as they had gone into hiding.

The SSP, Tangalle Division , C.E. Widisingha on hearing the ugly incident instructed the Tangalle police division to detail eight police teams for the arrest of the suspects.

IGP, N.K. Illanagkoon instructed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to probe into the heinous murder of a foreign tourist following a directive by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The Director CID, SSP, Mahesh Perera and his team is currently investigating the murder.

Following wide publicity in the media, the Chairman of the Prdeshiya Sabha and another member of his gang surrendered to the Tangalle police through a lawyer on the following day.

Both suspects were handed over to the CID on December 26 for further interrogation. Police recovred the vehicle in which the Pradeshiya Sabha member and the gang escaped.

The driver of the vehicle was arrested by the police.

Police also recovered the T-56 weapon which the culprits had buried in a temple compound without the knowledge of the bhikkhus.

According to CID sources five suspects linked to the murder have been taken into custody so far.

According to the Police Media Spokesman, SP Ajith Rohana medical tests are being done at the hospital to determine whether the Russian woman was subjected to a sexual assault by the gang.

The medical reports regarding her condition will be submitted to courts when the case is taken up for hearing, he said.