Street name changed from Tamil to Sinhala in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 31 July 2007, 11:08 GMT]
Veappavedduan Road located north of Iluppadichcheanai junction along Chenkaladi-Badulla road in Batticaloa has been renamed as Rajapathirana Mawatte, Saturday, civil society sources in Batticaloa said. Sri Lanka's Defense Secretary, Gothabaya Rajapakse, who visited Kudumpimalai (named Thoppigala in Sinhala) area ceremonially declared open the new name board, sources said.

Iluppadichcheanai junction is located 8 km from Chenkaladi towards Karadiyanaaru.

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians said late Corporal Rajapathirana was the first Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier to die in the battle to take Kudumpimalai from the Liberation Tigers and the road was named to honor him.

SLA soldiers razed the statue for LTTE's Lt.Col. Jeevan which stood at Iluppadichcheanai junction to the ground before installing the name board for the road, sources said.