SUSPECTED TIGER GUNMEN KILL PRESIDENT OF THE JAFFNA MPCS AS THEY DID NOT LIKE HIS ENTHUSIASTIC FOOD DISTRIBUTION, SAY RESIDENTS

By Walter Jayawardhana

Tamil political sources in Jaffna said the Tamil Tigers are strong suspects for the murder of 64 year old S.T. Ganananthanathan, a retired Engineer and the President of the Jaffna Multi Purpose Cooperative Society who was killed on Thursday February 1, near a well, close to his house.

They said they believe this a revenge killing since Gananathanathan was enthusiastically engaged in the distribution of food among the Jaffna people while the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) wanted to thrive on artificial food shortages created in the Jaffna peninsula.

LTTE news website, The Tamil Net, headlined with the story of the murder and gave it a twist to convey the idea that it has been done by the security forces. Jaffna sources said the security forces did not have a motive of killing him since he was greatly instrumental in the efficient distribution of food in which the security forces were also engaged.

The Tamil Net said he was murdered by "two unidentified armed men", phraseology usually used by the website to cover up the shooting deaths of their enemies.

The LTTE has been actively engaged in the sabotaging of food distribution in the peninsula by issuing threats through its front organization called “Makkal Padai” and attacking freight ships that bring food to Jaffna. Food shortages help them to win public sympathy and launch international condemnations through their sympathizers in the church and supportive Tamil Nadu politicians who work with them for the division of Sri Lanka.

Tamil sources in Jaffna who do not want to identify themselves said many social workers engaged in the distribution of food have been threatened by the LTTE front organization. In August 2006 the former President of the MPCS Thellipalai, Sivamagaraja was shot dead by suspected LTTE gunmen. Informed sources said even Gananathanathan had been threatened but he never thought that he would be killed.

Suspected Tamil Tiger gunmen had studied his movements since he used to go to a well close to his house every morning to fetch a bucketful of water, in Punkunkulam. Jaffna sources said, even the former President of the Jaffna MPCS left the area under threats in December 2005 when the deceased was elected to the post.