NEWS: Australian Man Held Over Sri Lankan Poitical Assassination, page 1

A 60 year old Australian businessman Charles Gnanakone, from Dubbo in NSW has been held in Sri lanka over the political murder of the country's former foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar. Reports out of Columbo state that Charles Gnanakone is linked to Sri Lanka's political opposition. The murder victim who was the second most guarded person in Sri Lanka following the president, was shot and killed near his security surrounded home in August and was known as a staunch opponant of Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers. Mr Gnanakone is allegedly involved with the Tamil Tigers and is a detainee under tough emergency measures introduced that include up to 30 days of detainment without trial.

www.news.com.au
The Minister was the most tightly guarded person in the country after President Chandrika Kumaratunga but police have admitted serious security breaches by his bodyguard.

Two other men have already been arrested and said to be directly linked to the assassination. However, police have so far not found the murder weapon.

Although it would not confirm the arrested man's identity, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) today said it had received information last week that a man had been detained.

"He has been detained in Colombo in relation to his alleged links to the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) and the assassination of the former foreign minister," a DFAT spokeswoman said.

NSW newspaper, the Daily Liberal in Dubbo, says the Australian Federal Police was aware of Mr Gnanakone two years' ago while he was living in the central NSW city.

The paper reports that Mr Gnanakone was known locally as "Captain Charles" and had business ties with a developer who was later jailed in Singapore for property fraud.

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To have an Australian connection is sad in a political assassination in a country far away. I have issues with people who emigrate to Australia and yet carry on with the country they left's causes.

They use Australia as a comfort zone and then commit offences such as this. I think there is more to this issue than meets the eye but at the same time i doubt it will be made public. I do wonder what the Australian government's stance is on Sri Lankan politics as there has been much violence in that country ove rthe last few years that has affected Australia including bombings and threats to the Australian cricket team playing in Columbia.

I was conceived in Dubbo, a lovely tiny central west country town that is a sleepy rural womderland. Many ethnic political groups are moving to these areas and concentrating while still carrying on political or religious causes.

The reports of this man as being an Australian is wrong...This man used Australia for his own means along with using and abusing his citizenship.

[edit on 17-10-2005 by Mayet]