Sunday, September 2, 2012


Art Gallery security guard abducted and released 
Sunday 02 September 2012 
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Art Gallery security guard abducted and released
By a special Correspondent

Media spokesman, JHU, Nishantha Warnasinghe says that the investigations carried out by the police into the Colombo Museum robbery and the subsequent revelation of a drug addict being its mastermind is nothing but a drama being enacted by the police to deceive the masses.
Speaking to LAKBIMAnEWS, Warnasinghe said: “This unprecedented robbery took place on March 16 this year. From then on the police have been conducting investigations and apparently those investigations went in various directions. But we have some serious questions regarding the latest statements made with regard to this robbery.”
“We as the JHU, are only concerned whether the police would be able to secure all the items that were looted from the Museum or not. We do not want to get entangled with the police media spokesman through debates as to whether the police have been hoodwinking the people or not. If the police have carried out their investigations, we urge them to show the country pictures of the items that were robbed and those that have been recovered,” Warnasinghe said.

‘Don’t waste time’
“There is no point in just showcasing suspects to the country at large. We expect  them to identify the real robbers and see that they are persecuted, and not waste their time by going after drug addicts. If the police have a backbone they should identify the perpetrators of this crime and reveal who they are to the general public,” he added.
“We also want to know if all the items stolen from the Museum have been recovered or not. Have these items been disfigured or are they in the same condition when they were stolen,  or are parts of certain items found consequent to the robbery. Finally we want to know whether the said items are those actually looted from the Museum,” Warnasinghe questioned.

Verification should be sought
“These queries could be verified through the additional director general of the Museum or the director general of Archeology, Dr. Senerath Dissanayake, but none of these issues have been addressed so far,” he pointed out.
The JHU media spokesman also urged the Minister of National Heritage Dr. Jagath Balasooriya to go before the country and make a proclamation to that effect, adding that he should have the courage to do so.
He said that it is the media that had reported of a possible nexus between the Museum robbery and some government politicos.
“And if there is no connection between government politicos and this unprecedented robbery then that could also be proven only by the police and disclosed to the country, and if they do not, they cannot prevent  people from forming different perceptions about this robbery,” averred Warnasinghe.
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