Assault on Lankan diplomat:

Mild charges filed against suspects

By Manjula Fernando

Diplomatic sources claim that the two suspects who assaulted Sri Lanka’s diplomat and his aide have been indicted on the lesser charge of rioting, by the Malaysian Police.

The charges against the suspects were not adequate given that they were members of pro-LTTE groups. He said the attack, carried out in a restricted area of the Kuala Lumpur airport seemed to have been pre-planned since all the mobsters managed to take off without being caught by the airport security. Under the rioting charges in Malaysia it is alleged the suspects will be imposed a fine or a sentence of only two years if convicted.

“There were seven persons involved in the attack, but only two were produced in court.

Even these two suspects were later enlarged on bail, despite the disturbing incident that was captured on the airport CCTV cameras and flashed in all media,” the sources added.

Sri Lankan High Commissioner Ibrahim Ansar, a long serving career diplomat and Minister Counsellor Majintha Jayasinghe was set upon by an unruly gang when they were at the KLIA, seeing off a group of Sri Lankan dignitaries including Minister Daya Gamage and his wife Anoma Gamage who also holds an important portfolio of the present government. The mob had inquired after the wherabouts of former President and MP Mahinda Rajapaksa who was in Kuala Lumpur attending the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP).