The police yesterday afternoon arrested an LTTE cadre following 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 from the suspect’s house in the Chavakachcheri police area.
The recovery had been made on information provided by the second wife of the Tiger identified as Edward Julian alias Ramesh, security sources told The Island, adding that the house was situated at Vallakulam Pillaiyar Kovil Street in the Maravanpulo area. Ramesh was taken into custody at Wannerikulam, in the Kilinochchi District.
The recovery had been made on information provided by the second wife of the Tiger identified as Edward Julian alias Ramesh, security sources told The Island, adding that the house was situated at Vallakulam Pillaiyar Kovil Street in the Maravanpulo area. Ramesh was taken into custody at Wannerikulam, in the Kilinochchi District.
Immediately after the recovery, the police and troops put up a road block at Wannerikulam, where the suspect was taken into custody.
Asked whether Ramesh had undergone rehabilitation after the conclusion of the war in May 2009, sources said that he wasn’t among the rehabilitated and, therefore, the Chavakachcheri recovery should be thoroughly investigated.
The claymores had been wrapped in old newspapers sources said, adding that the suicide jacket looked new. Sources said that the informant had claimed that Ramesh had brought home the lethal material a few days back from Mannar. His wife had rushed to the police following a dispute with him. He was first married to a woman in Mannar.
Sources said that Ramesh had been with the LTTE since the age of 13 and was widely believed to be hard-core terrorist.
It would be of critical importance to establish why the explosives had been moved from Mannar to Chavakachcheri, sources said, noting that the possibility of some LTTE elements planning attacks could not be ruled out.
Former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa called for a comprehensive investigation into the detection. He said those who hadn’t surrendered to the military at the conclusion of the conflict over six years back hadn’t undergone rehabilitation. They could pose a serious threat, the former Defence Secretary told The Island.
Defence Secretary Eng. Karunasena Hettiarachchi yesterday said that the government would take appropriate action after having examined the Chavakachcheri detection. Hettiarachchi was responding to a query at a media briefing at the Information Department.
Defence Secretary Hettiarachchi said on the basis of an isolated detection the government couldn’t conclude whether there was a threat to national security. According to him, even six years after the eradication of the LTTE, the police and security forces continued to recover arms, ammunition and equipment. The police would inquire into the latest recovery, he said, adding that the military wouldn’t be engaged in the Chavakachcheri matter. The police would handle investigations.
The Defence Secretary said that those having unauthorised weapons could receive cash rewards by handing them over to the government. The official said that the government offer applied to all parts of the country.
Jaffna Security Forces Commander Maj. Gen. Mahesh Senanayake told The Island that a thorough inquiry was required to ascertain the arrested LTTE cadre’s intentions and the security remained tight with troops strategically positioned to deal with any eventuality.
Defence Secretary Hettiarachchi said that in spite of the eradication of the LTTE, some Diaspora groups were hell-bent on causing trouble. The official pointed out that Sri Lanka had been able to defeat all challenges during 1971, 1987-1990 and 1983-2009 and, therefore, there was no likelihood of a fresh military threat emerging. Defence Secretary Hettiarachchi asserted that the government had the strength to meet any fresh challenge.
Asked whether the government had sought Indian and US support to enhance security in the wake of global threat posed by the IS, Defence Secretary Hettiarachchi said that there was no basis for such an assertion. Sri Lanka shouldn’t be unduly worried about the IS issue, he said.
The previous government in early April, 2014 claimed that it had thwarted an attempt to revive the LTTE. The declaration was made in the wake of troops killing three LTTE operatives, including Kajeepan Ponniah Selvanayagam alias Gopi and Sundaralingam Kajeepan alias Thevian during a skirmish in a jungle area at Nedunkerny in the Vanni.
