2ND LEAD

NEIAP Deputy Project Director assassinated in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 May 2006, 10:19 GMT]
Duputy Project Director (DPD) of the World Bank assisted North East Irrigated Agriculture Project (NEIAP), Ratnam Ratnarajah, 48, was shot and killed by paramilitary cadres near his residence in Sri Lanka Army controlled Kalviyankadu, north of Batticaloa town at 14:15 p.m. Informed officers close to the slain NEIAP official, said, Mr. Ratnarajah, a disciplined and committed Director, was receiving a series of threatening phone calls allegedly from paramilitary operatives, asking the Director to employ Karuna group paramilitary Markan's relatives in NEIAP clerical positions.

Mr.Ratnarajah functioned also as Deputy Director of Irrigation.

Mr.Ratnarajah attended a meeting earlier today regarding irrigational development programs in the LTTE held area of the Eastern province.

"He received a threatning telephone while he was attending the meeting. The conversation was about appointment of a person in the NEIAP," an official who attended the meeting told TamilNet.

Mr. Ratnarajah, an engineer from Naippaddimunai in Kalmunai, leaves behind his wife and two children.

Further details are not available at the moment.

On 29 and 30 January, 20 Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) humanitarian workers were blindfolded and abducted by the paramilitaries. 12 of them were released on 30 January. The fate of 7 humanitarian officials is not known.

Five days ago, on 21 May, three offices of International Non-Governmental Organisations, Inter SOS, ZOA and Non-Violent Peace Force located along Market Road in government controlled Muttur town in Trincomalee were attacked with grenades. Two persons, a foreign representative of the Non-Violent Peace Force and a local worker were injured in the grenade attacks.

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