Mavai Senathirajah meets Jaffna Military Commander

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 April 2008, 03:06 GMT]
Mavai Senathirajah, Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, arrived in Jaffna Friday to participate in the 31st Memorial Day of S.J.V. Chelvanayakam Saturday. The first TNA member to return to Jaffna since the assassination of TNA Jaffna MP, Nadarajah Raviraj, in 2006, he met Maj. Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Jaffna Commander, at the latter’s request Friday in Palaali SLA military complex, the MP told media.

Mavai Senathirajah expressed his concern on the continuing killings, abductions, forced disappearances, and other grave rights violations in Jaffna peninsula.

Commander Chandrasiri had responded that the violations have shown a marked decrease, and presently the violations have reached a low level, Mavai Senathirajah said.

The SLA Commander admitted to the MP that paramilitary groups are operating in Jaffna peninsula, Mavai Senathirajah told TamilNet.

The SLA Commander also expressed his suspicion of the involvement of the paramilitary groups in the rights violations, the MP added.

The MP had then asked the SLA Commander as to how the paramilitaries behind the killings, abductions and forced disappearance operate unchecked when the SLA is in full control of the Jaffna peninsula, Mavai Senathirajah said.

He also requested the SLA chief to have the SLA check point located at the main entrance of Thanthai Chelva Monument area removed. The Commander has agreed to take action on this matter, according to the MP.

People from the coastal areas in Kurunakar area are allowed to enter Jaffna town only after being checked at the SLA post.

Late Nadarajah Raviraj, former TNA parliamentarian for Jaffna district, who had last been to Jaffna peninsula to legal matters, was assassinated in Colombo a few days after he left the peninsula.

Raviraj, 44, Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, was shot and killed in Colombo 10 November 2006.

A lawyer turned politician, former mayor of Jaffna, Mr. Raviraj, elected twice, has been an outspoken parliamentarian who voiced against the extra-judicial killings and forced disappearances in NorthEast and Colombo.