The Chief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council said that the story about the re-emergence of the LTTE was floated by the Sri Lankan government to justify the heavy militarisation of the north.
Speaking to The Hindu, Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran said the story was “very weak” and that unanswered questions remained, including about the policeman, who was allegedly shot by ‘Gopi’, the individual named by the Sri Lankan government as a wanted LTTE suspect.
“We have been repeatedly asking the government to confine the military in the north to the barracks, but the government does not want to demilitarise the north. This story is only to justify that,” Mr. Wigneswaran told The Hindu.
The Sri Lankan military continues to claim that Gopi and his accomplice Appan are involved with re-establishing the LTTE with support of the Tamil diaspora and has offered a Rs1mn reward for information leading to their capture.
“We hear that sections of the diaspora are funding some of those elements here,” Jaffna Security Forces Commander Udaya Perera said to The Hindu.
“There is no popular support for such regrouping, but such forces may exploit vulnerable communities in the north. We will not allow that,” he added.
See related articles:
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Activists detained by TID officers (17 Mar 2014)
Vanni fearful amid further arrests and intensified militarisation (16 Mar 2014)
MoD orders 18 day detention, Jeyakumari makes statement to judge (16 Mar 2014)
SL Army accuses Ananthy Sasitharan of making 'misleading' statements over Jeyakumari-Vipoosika arrest (15 Mar 2014)
SL Foreign Minister dismisses concern over detention of Tamil campaigner and daughter (14 Mar 2014)
Heavy military presence in Vanni following detention of campaigner and daughter (14 Mar 2014)
Detained Tamil campaigner held under PTA act by TID (14 Mar 2014)
Tamils fearful after disappearances campaigner and daughter arrested by SL police (13 Mar 2014)
Tamil 'Disappearances' campaigner and 13y daughter held by Sri Lankan military (13 Mar 2014)
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