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| Sunday, 23 June 2002 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Swift action to settle islands fracas by S. Selvakumar Head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Major General Trond Furuhovde along with Northern Navy Commander Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera, DIG Jaffna Keerthi Gajanayake and LTTE representatives held a meeting at the Jaffna SLMM office yesterday to inquire into the assault on two unarmed Tiger cadres in Velannai on Thursday night. At the inquiry it was revealed that two Army personnel and one person in Navy uniform along with five other masked men had severely assaulted the two Tiger cadres who were in Velanai in connection with political activities. After the attack on the duo, the attackers had ordered the two to get into the vehicle, a pick-up in which they came. However on hearing the commotion the villagers have gathered and prevented the attackers from taking the two Tiger cadres with them. On Friday, Mr. Furuhovde met with LTTE political wing leader S.P. Thamilchelvan in Kilinochchi where he was told that the incident was an attempt by some disgruntled military cadres and the EPDP to undermine the ongoing peace process. The LTTE charged that the incident was a serious violation of the Memorandum of Understanding. Defence Secretary Austin Fernando in a statement issued on Friday said that the offenders would be severely dealt with. It was only from last Monday that unarmed LTTE cadres were allowed into the islands around the Jaffna peninsula to engage in political activities. Commenting on the incident, SLMM spokesman Teitur Torkelsson said their initial investigations into the incident drew a blank. "But subsequently we learnt that it was a fact and several eye witnesses to the incident confirmed it. Our team went to Velanai and from midnight to dawn on Friday our team spoke to several villagers and now I can confirm it was a serious violation of the MoU," he added. EPDP leader and Jaffna District Parliamentarian Douglas Devananda said that his party men were not involved in any such incident. Mr. Devanande held the view that angry public who have been harassed and taxed by the LTTE could have launched this attack. |
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