Death  Threat  against  Dr.  Paikiasothy  Saravanamuttu:  A  

Clarification  of  Events  
 
The   Centre   for   Policy   Alternatives   (CPA)   wishes   to   correct   and   clarify   media  
reportage   of   the   death   threat   against   its   Executive   Director,   Dr.   Paikiasothy  
Saravanamuttu.     CPA   is   both   deeply   concerned   and   appalled   at   the   distortions   of  
the  chain  of  events  in  the  media,  particularly  the  state  controlled  media,  in  which  
it  appears  that  exigencies  of  government  propaganda  have  dictated  a  campaign  
of   misrepresentation   and   vilification   against   Dr.   Saravanamuttu.   CPA   wishes,  
therefore,   to   place   on   public   record   the   correct   facts   of   the   matter,   and   hopes  
that  this  will  serve  to  foreclose  any  further  distortions  and  misrepresentations.    
 
Chronological  Sequence  of  Events  

20th  August  2009    

• Dr.  Saravanamuttu  received  in  the  letterbox  at  his  residence  the  death  threat,  
which   appeared   to   have   arrived   by   post.   The   envelope   is   stamped   and   post  
marked,   but   the   postmark   is   illegible.   The   letter   itself   is   word   processed,  
containing   three   sentences   and   sixteen   lines.   Scanned   copies   of   both   the  
letter   and   the   envelope   are   available   on   the   CPA   website   at:  
http://www.cpalanka.org/page.php?id=0&pubid=590&key=9bdd5f06c37bd
ab66735ca41a9457925  
• On   the   same   day,   Dr.   Saravanamuttu   made   a   complaint   at   the   Narahenpita  
Police   Station,   which   is   the   local   police   station   covering   Ascot   Avenue,  
Colombo  05,  the  location  of  his  residence.    

• The   Officer   in   Charge   of   the   Narahenpita   Police   Station   has   certified   by   letter  
dated   26th   August   2009   that   such   a   complaint   dated   20th   August   has   been  
recorded  C.I.B  Book  2,  page  21,  paragraph  180.  The  Officer  in  Charge  has  also  

Death  Threat  against  Dr.  Paikiasothy  Saravanamuttu:  A  Clarification  of  Events   1  

 stated   that   he   has   issued   this   letter   of   certification   in   lieu   of   a   copy   of   the  
complaint   as   requested   by   Dr.   Saravanamuttu   because   investigations   are  
continuing  in  this  regard.    

• By  letter  dated  20th  August  2009,  with  scanned  copies  of  the  threat  letter  and  
envelope   attached,   Dr.   Saravanamuttu   requested   the   Inspector   General   of  
Police  to  order  an  immediate  investigation  into  this  matter,  and  assured  the  
IGP  any  co-­‐operation  as  is  necessary  to  the  successful  conclusion  of  such  an  
investigation.   Dr.   Saravanmuttu’s   letter   to   the   IGP   was   also   copied   to   the  
Secretary   to   His   Excellency   the   President,   the   Hon.   Minister   of   Justice,   the  
Hon.  Minister  for  Human  Rights,  and  the  Secretary  to  the  Ministry  of  Defence.    

• Dr.   Saravanmuttu   also   wrote   to   His   Excellency   the   President   appealing   that  
the  President  ensures  an  immediate  and  impartial  investigation.  In  this  letter  
of   20th   August,   Dr.   Saravanamuttu   informed   the   President   that   the   death  
threat  appeared  to  be  on  account  of  the  position  taken  by  him  and  CPA  on  the  
issue  of  the  GSP  Plus  extension  to  Sri  Lanka,  and  further,  that  “…the  author  or  
authors   have   either   grossly   misunderstood   or   deliberately   distorted   the  
position  of  CPA  on  this  issue.  Through  the  media  and  in  publications,  CPA  has  
consistently  argued  that  a  Win/Win  outcome  of  this  issue  is  entirely  possible,  
with   the   trade   concession   extended   and   Human   Rights   strengthened   in   our  
country.”      
 

22nd  August  2009  

• Inspector  Lokuge  of  the  Narahenpita  Police  investigating  Dr.  Saravanmuttu’s  
complaint   visited   his   residence.   As   Dr.   Saravanamuttu   was   away   from   the  
country   on   a   pre-­‐scheduled   trip,   and   as   the   CPA   office   was   closed   on   account  
of   it   being   a   Saturday   afternoon,   his   staff   directed   IP   Lokuge   to   Mr.   Asanga  
Welikala,  Senior  Researcher  at  CPA.  IP  Lokuge  interviewed  Mr.  Welikala  the  
same   afternoon,   and   Mr.   Welikala   was   able   to   clarify   and   reconfirm   the  
information  provided  by  Dr.  Saravanamuttu  in  his  complaint  of  20th  August.    
 
26th  August  2009  
• Assistant  Superintendent  of  Police  Nanayakkara  of  the  Criminal  Investigation  
Department  telephoned  Mr.  Asanga  Welikala,  Senior  Researcher,  CPA,  to  seek  
further   information   about   the   circumstances   of   the   death   threat   to   Dr.  
Saravanamuttu.   ASP   Nanayakkara   stated   that   he   was   requested   by   the  
Permanent  Mission  of  Sri  Lanka  to  the  United  Nations  in  Geneva  to  submit  a  
report  on  this  matter.  Mr.  Welikala  provided  the  same  information  as  he  had  
to   IP   Lokuge   of   the   Narahenpita   Police   on   22nd   August   and   as   Dr.  
Saravanamuttu  had  set  out  in  his  complaint  of  20th  August.        
 

Death  Threat  against  Dr.  Paikiasothy  Saravanamuttu:  A  Clarification  of  Events   2  

27th  August  2009  
• A   group   of   concerned   citizens   and   civil   society   activists   and   organisations  
issued  a  public  statement  of  condemnation  regarding  the  death  threat  against  
Dr.   Saravanamuttu,   which   was   received   by   CPA   and   uploaded   on   to   its  
website  on  27th  August  2009.  The  statement  was  signed  by  133  persons  and  
organisations.    
 
16th  September  2009  

• The   same   public   statement   was   published   as   a   paid   advertisement   in   the  

Daily  Mirror  (English)  and  Lankadeepa  (Sinhala)  newspapers.    

     
Issues  of  Concern  
In   the   light   of   the   facts   set   out   above,   CPA   is   seriously   concerned   about   the  
vexatious   reportage   of   this   matter,   which   seem   in   some   cases   to   be   deliberate  
attempts  at  distorting  the  truth.    

Regarding  the  position  of  the  CPA  concerning  the  GSP  Plus  extension,  CPA  has  on  
more   than   one   occasion   through   press   releases   and   public   statements   clarified  
and  explicitly  stated  its  position  that  we  believe  that  the  GSP  Plus  benefits  must  
be  extended.    At  the  same  time,  CPA  has  stated  that  the  obligatory  requirements  
of  the  extension  must  be  used  as  an  opportunity  to  take  measures  to  strengthen  
human  rights  and  the  rule  of  law  in  Sri  Lanka.    
It   has   been   made   out   in   several   reports   appearing   in   the   state   media   and   state  
media   outlets   including   the   Daily   News,   the   Independent   Television   Network  
(ITN),   and   the   website   of   the   Ministry   of   Defence,   as   well   as   in   some   private  
electronic   media   outlets   and   by   political   party   representatives,   that   Dr.  
Saravanamuttu  had  released  details  about  the  death  threat  to  the  media  before  
he  contacted  the  authorities  and  the  Police  in  this  regard.  As  we  have  established  
above,  this  is  a  gross  and  mala  fide  misrepresentation  of  the  facts.  The  attempts  
in  some  of  these  media  outlets  to  also  make  the,  factually  incorrect,  point  that  the  
threat  letter  contains  only  four  lines,  and  thereby  presumably  a  matter  of  lesser  
significance,  we  believe,  do  not  deserve  to  be  dignified  with  a  response.      
Finally,  a  conspiracy  theory  has  been  imagined  in  which  the  public  statement  of  
condemnation   of   the   death   threat   and   support   for   Dr.   Saravanamuttu   by   civil  
society   activists   and   citizens   has   been   timed   to   coincide   with   the   arrival   in   the  
island   of   Mr.   Lynn   Pascoe,   the   United   Nations   Under   Secretary   General   for  
Political   Affairs,   on   16th   September   2009.   It   is   with   consternation   that   we   note  
that  this  version  of  events  has  almost  been  converted  into  a  ‘truth’  through  the  
simple   expedient   repetition   in   election   campaign   platforms   by   the   highest  
political   office-­‐holders   in   the   land   and   in   the   state   media,   and   the   underlying  
argument   of   which   is   that   the   public   statement   was   an   engineered   attempt   to  
embarrass   the   Government   of   Sri   Lanka.   We   can   confirm   that   this   was   entirely  
coincidental,  and  consider  it  preposterous  that  a  matter  of  such  chilling  import  

Death  Threat  against  Dr.  Paikiasothy  Saravanamuttu:  A  Clarification  of  Events   3  

as   a   written   death   threat   sent   to   Dr.   Saravanamuttu’s   home   should   be  
interpreted   as   some   sort   of   publicity   stunt.   As   we   have   set   out   above,   the  
newspaper   advertisement   appeared   on   16th   September.   The   English   version   of  
the  statement  itself  was  uploaded  on  our  website  as  early  as  27th  August  2009.    
 
 

Death  Threat  against  Dr.  Paikiasothy  Saravanamuttu:  A  Clarification  of  Events   4