Millennium City raid: A far reaching SC judgment

Last week The Island examined the circumstances leading to a high profile police raid on a safe-house run by the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) way back in early January 2002.

- By SHAMINDRA FERDINANDO

The article headlined, “Raid on Millennium City DMI safe-house: a forgotten story,” dealt with the controversy over legitimizing a police action against the DMI in the backdrop of Colombo High Court Judge A.K.M. Patabendige issuing an order to excarcerate former Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Kulasiri Udugampola accused of leading the raid that undermined national security.

Udugampola had been the senior officer in charge of the Kandana police of the Kelaniya Division.

The raiding party included Major Clifford Soysa of the Military Police. Major Soysa’s discussion in the raiding party should be discussed, taking into consideration immaterial blessings to do as he obtained police a complaint that the LTTE didn’t cooperate with an investigation into the killing of 10 Muslims at Udathalawinna in the Wattegama police area on Dec, 5, 2001. Therefore, the raid on the DMI safe-house had been mounted, believing Chanuka, one of the then Deputy Defence Minister Anuruddha Ratwatte’s sons, was hiding there. The police earlier searched Minister Ratwatte’s residence, Sinha Regiment camp at Yatinuwara road, Mahanuwara, and the Boyagane Army camp, in Kurunegala, looking for Ratwatte’s son.

The Millennium City case in which the State moved court against Kulasiri Udugampola was heard over a period of years.

The acquittal of now frail Udugampola cannot be discussed without taking into consideration a far reaching Supreme Court judgement in respect of a fundamental rights application filed by five military personnel who had been attached to the raided safe house.