Former Tiger raises arrest of ex-colleagues with Prez,President to be briefed on unexpected developments

April 28, 2016, 9:55 pm

By Shamindra Ferdinando Courtesy The Island

President Maithripala Sirisena, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces on Wednesday assured that he would inquire into recent arrest of LTTE cadres in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

President Maithripala Sirisena was responding to Velayutham Thayanidhi alias Daya Master, one-time head of the LTTE media unit.

Daya Master sought an explanation regarding a spate of recent arrests from President Maithripala Sirisena on behalf of DAN TV, a Tamil language satellite TV channel operating in Jaffna. Former Tiger propagandist alleged that the people had been deeply concerned over the ongoing wave of arrests and an explanation was required.

Having been with LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran throughout the war, Daya Master surrendered to the Army during the final phase of fighting on the Vanni east front in 2009.

The issue came up at President Maithripala Sirisena’s meeting with proprietors of media organisations and journalists representing print and electronic media.

At the conclusion of the meeting Daya Master told The Island that there had been many arrests following the detection of explosives including a suicide jacket during the last week of March in the Chavakachcheri police area.

The Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) is inquiring into the possibility of the LTTE rump making an attempt to regroup. Since the chance recovery of explosives, the TID has arrested several persons, including three senior LTTE personnel.

Police spokesman ASP Ruwan Gunasekera yesterday told The Island that several persons had been taken into custody subsequent to the Chavakachcheri detection. ASP Gunasekera identified the arrested persons as one-time LTTE Ampara Commander ‘Colonel’ Ram, ‘Colonel’ Sivamoorthi Kanapathipillai alias Nagulan, formerly of the elite Charles Anthony Brigade, LTTE Trincomalee Intelligence Wing leader Thalaiarasan and Subramaniyam Sivakaran. Nagulan had held the post of Special Commander of the Charles Anthony Brigade during the conflict.

At the time of the arrest Sivakaran held the post of ITAK (Illankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi) Youth Wing leader. The ITAK is the main constituent of the four-party Tamil National Alliance (TNA).

Nagulan and Thalaiarasan had been arrested at Kopay and Trincomalee while Sivakaran was taken into custody in Mannar. ASP Gunasekera said that initial investigations had revealed Sivakumaran’s involvement with LTTE cadres and was allegedly responsible for helping them evade arrest. According to ASP Gunasekera Sivakumaran had been arrested on Wednesday and was to be produced before a Magistrate during Thursday. Others had been held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) pending further investigations, the police spokesman said.

The Chavakachcheri police arrested the first suspect namely Edward Julian alias Ramesh within hours after the recovery of a suicide jacket, four claymore mines, three parcels containing about 12 kilos of TNT explosives, two battery packs as well as some 9mm ammunition. The mini arsenal had been kept at the suspect’s rented house at Vallakulam on Pillaiyar Kovil Street in the Maravanpulo area.

The ongoing investigation is the first such undertaken by President Maithripala Sirisena’s government after the fall of the war winning Rajapaksa administration in January last year.Authoritative sources said that the ongoing investigations had confirmed attempts made by the LTTE rump to regroup. Northern Province Governor Reginald Cooray recently declared Chavakachcheri explosives were meant to cause mayhem.

Responding to a query, ASP Gunasekera said that in addition to five main suspects now in custody, the police had been able to arrest more in connection with the ongoing probe. The officer said that the three LTTE seniors (Ram, Nagulan and Talayan) hadn’t undergone rehabilitation after the conclusion of the conflict in May 2009.

At the onset of the investigation, the CID recorded a statement from former External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris regarding the Chavakachcheri explosives haul. The CID questioned Prof. Peiris after he alleged that the LTTE was planning to resume attacks.

Many an eyebrow was raised over the arrest of Nagulan as the military believed the hardcore terrorist had perished during 2009 on the Vanni east front. Military officials told The Island that there was now reason to believe many hardcore terrorists, who had shunned rehabilitation, could be living among civilians.

The previous government thwarted an LTTE revival bid during second week of 2014. Troops killed three LTTE cadres, including one identified as Gopi, widely believed to be leader of the group.

In the wake ongoing arrests, the police headquarters is expected to brief President Maithripala Sirisena of what one source called unexpected developments.