Danuna Tillakaratne Emerges From Hiding and Contests in The 2015 General Elections

Danuna Tillakaratne became a household name in Sri Lanka after the 2010 Presidential Elections. His name was used by the Government in a major mud slinging campaign against General Sarath Fonseka during the 2010 Presidential Elections, and it was alleged that Danuna Tillakaratne was a major arms dealer, and that he profited by supplying arms and ammunition to the Sri Lanka army.

This was of course not true, because for many years before the end of the conflict in Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan Government only purchased arms and ammunition though Lanka Logistics, a fully state owned outfit. Further examination of Danuna Tillakaratne’s history shows that he has never been an owner, a director, or even an employee of any company that supplies any equipment at all to the Sri Lankan Army or Sri Lankan Government.

However, Charges were brought, and interestingly, Danuna Tillakaratne went into hiding, and in response, the government launched one of the biggest manhunts ever undertaken in Sri Lankan history to capture him. Even more interestingly, Danuna Tillakaratne managed to evade capture for 5 years, despite the major state campaign to locate him, and the offer of a one million rupee reward for information leading to the capture of Danuna Tillkaratne. The fact that Danuna Tillakaratne managed to evade capture despite several public announcements made by the Secretary of Defense  Gotabhaya Rajapakse that it was only a matter of time before he was captured, elevated Danuna Tillakaratne to the status of folk hero in the eyes of his supporters.

Then again, very interestingly, just before the Presidential Elections of 2015, after having spent five years in hiding, Danuna Tillakaratne simply walked into a court room and surrendered. He was granted bail by the judge, and when the media asked him why he had chosen to make an appearance in court to surrender right before the Presidential Elections, he replied that it had been a gamble, that he surrendered because he figured the Government would not persecute him right before the elections, because if they did, they would lose more popularity with the people for taking political revenge. His gamble paid off, and Danuna Tillakaratne walked out of the court without being troubled by the police or any other Government personnel.

Danuna Tillakaratne is now contesting for a seat in Parliament in the Colombo District, representing the Democratic Party. Danuna Tillakaratne says it is time for a change for Sri Lanka, and that he can help usher in a new era of corruption free development for Sri Lanka.