Sri Lankan security forces are investigating alleged ‘close association’ between TNA MP Sritharan and ‘Gopi’ and his associates, who were accused by Sri Lanka of reviving the LTTE before being killed by the army, after a manhunt spanning several weeks.
Higher Education Minister S.B. Dissanayake told The Island that the MP had harboured the fugitives and provided them with transportation, and that he had been seen with ‘Gopi’ in Colombo and Batticaloa.
Dissanayake said a mobile phone used by ‘Gopi’ was recovered and details retrieved from the phone will be used to reveal more information.
Police spokesperson Ajith Rohana said that there was evidence to prove that ‘Gopi’ had contact with the MP and several others.
The minister said that the TNA MP had eulogised Velupillai Prabahakaran in parliament on November 26, last year and delivered a speech praising the leader of the LTTE, calling him a national hero and urging Tamils to commemorate his birth.
Sritharan denied the allegations, when he was questioned on the minister’s comments.
"I had nothing to do with Gopi. People holding responsible positions should not make baseless claims. Dissanayake by his comments was disgracing the office he held," he said.