The Northern Provincial Council minister for agriculture, P Aiyngaranesan, condemned the rape and murder of a school girl in Pungudutivu this week, and highlighted the fact that women walked safely even late at night when the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam controlled Jaffna.
"During LTTE times women were able to walk alone even at night," Mr Aiyngaranesan was quoted by Uthayan as saying whilst addressing mourners at the school girl's memorial ceremony on Friday.
"The people have begun to yearn, asking will such a time not come again."
Sivaloganathan Vithiya, an 18 year old Advance Level student at the Pungudutivu Maha Vidyalaya school, was abducted on Wednesday and raped and killed. Her body was found the next day in a dilapidated house with her hands and feet tied to logs. Her murder has sparked widespread public outcry, with many questioning how such a rape and murder could have taken place in the North-East, which remains militarised.
"Since the end of the armed conflict, murders and acts against societal norms have increased. Behind these changes is the culture of drugs. The use of drugs within the youth has increased unprecedentedly," Mr Aiyngaranesan added, stating that the use of drugs was intentionally being increased in order "to lead Tamil youth down the wrong path and to dampen their aspiration for liberation."
"The LTTE's police force had kept crime under control. At present, even grave criminals are able to move freely. Therefore, parents need to always be careful about the safety of our younger generation. We need to be vigilant about the conduct of our younger generations."
"During LTTE times women were able to walk alone even at night," Mr Aiyngaranesan was quoted by Uthayan as saying whilst addressing mourners at the school girl's memorial ceremony on Friday.
"The people have begun to yearn, asking will such a time not come again."
Sivaloganathan Vithiya, an 18 year old Advance Level student at the Pungudutivu Maha Vidyalaya school, was abducted on Wednesday and raped and killed. Her body was found the next day in a dilapidated house with her hands and feet tied to logs. Her murder has sparked widespread public outcry, with many questioning how such a rape and murder could have taken place in the North-East, which remains militarised.
"Since the end of the armed conflict, murders and acts against societal norms have increased. Behind these changes is the culture of drugs. The use of drugs within the youth has increased unprecedentedly," Mr Aiyngaranesan added, stating that the use of drugs was intentionally being increased in order "to lead Tamil youth down the wrong path and to dampen their aspiration for liberation."
"The LTTE's police force had kept crime under control. At present, even grave criminals are able to move freely. Therefore, parents need to always be careful about the safety of our younger generation. We need to be vigilant about the conduct of our younger generations."