3rd Lead (Adds details)

Kumarappa, Pulendran Eighteenth anniversary held in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 October 2005, 10:27 GMT]
The eighteenth death anniversary of senior commanders of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Lt. Colonel Pulendran and Lt. Colonel Kumarappa and ten other cadres was observed in Munai in Vadamaradchchy, Jaffna Tuesday morning, sources in Jaffna said. The event took place in the Sri Lanka Army controlled area. Munai region Leader of auxilliary unit of the LTTE naval wing, Pathinather presided the event.

Mr Thavarajah, father of LTTE martyrs Major Thavachelvi and Lt. Nivendra lit the flame of sacrifice. Mr Santhiyapillai, father of LTTE martyrs Lt Ceaser and Lt Selvam hoisted the Tamileelam flag.

The military parade of more than two hundred cadres who completed naval training at the Gangai Amaran Training facility took salute to the memorial built for the twelve cadres.

Senthamilchelvan and Sooriyakumar spoke about the incident where the cadres lost their lives and the contribution of the twelve towards the Tamil National struggle.

Large numbers of VVT residents and public from surrounding villages attended another commemoration event held at Theeruvil mausoleum in Valvettithurai (VVT) in Jaffna district.

Father of 2nd Lt Prasanna, Mr.M. Thangavel of VVT Civil Groups Consortium presided. Mr.M.Uruthirapathi, father of LTTE martyrs, Major James, Col. Sundari and Col. Vasu, hoisted the Thamileelam national flag. A brother of Sea Black Tiger Captain M.Sithamparan who died in the war lit the flame of sacrifice. Father of LTTE martyr Sutha, Siva Sri Muttusamypillai Iyer, lit the common flame of sacrifice. About three hundred members of the Civil Volunteer Force trained by the LTTE paid homage to the leaders, sources said.

First week of October, 1987, two months after the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) arrived in the northeast under the Indo-Sri Lanka pact, seventeen LTTE cadres were taken into custody by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) in midsea when they were on their way to Trincomalee from Jaffna.

They were then brought to main Sri Lanka Army base at Palaly in the north. When the SLA attempted to take them to Colombo for interrogation, commanders Pulendran and Kumarappa took cyanide and committed suicide along with ten other cadres: Major Abdullah, Captains Karan, Ragu, Palani and Miresh, Lts Thavakumar, Anbalagan, second Lt. Anandakumar, Lt.Reginald, Captain Nalan while in the custody at Palaly SLA main base on 05.10.1987 around 5.05 p.m.