Sri Lanka's top military officer to be arrested

Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne

A court yesterday ordered the arrest of Sri Lanka's top military officer in connection with the abduction and murder of 11 people during the island's civil war. Colombo Fort magistrate Lanka Jayaratne directed police to detain Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne, Chief of the Defence Staff, for allegedly helping the main person accused in the killings escape prosecution.

Chandana Prasad Hettiarachchi, a navy intelligence officer, was accused of leading a hit squad that kidnapped 11 young men between 2008 and 2009 during the final stages of the war. They are believed to have been murdered while being illegally held by the navy. Their bodies were never found.

Hettiarachchi was arrested earlier this month in Colombo after a months-long manhunt. "There is evidence against Admiral Wijegunaratne's role in allowing the accused to evade arrest," Sri Lanka's Criminal Investigations Department told the magistrate. DKP Dissanayake, at the time a spokesman for the navy, is also suspected of involvement. He was arrested last year and is currently on bail.

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