House of TNA politician in Kaarainakar stoned

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 September 2013, 23:25 GMT]
Attackers believed to be operated by the intelligence outfit of the occupying Sri Lankan military in Jaffna stoned the house of the head of the civic council (Piratheasa Chapai) of Kaarainakar, Mr Anaimukan Velayutham, a Tamil National Alliance (TNA) politician, in the early hours of Tuesday. In the meantime, Colombo-based Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV), in its communiqué said a 6 member squad was observed at his house on the previous day when Mr Anaimukan returned home from a TNA election meeting. The CMEV noted that the SL police had registered a complaint on the attack the following day, but the police was not aware that the attack was an election related violence. Anaimukan's house has been targeted at least twice, in 2011 and 2012, during the Tamil Heroes Day observations.

The attack on his house in 2011 came after he was interviewed by the BBC Tamil, in which he had exposed that the occupying SL military had instructed temples in his civic division not to toll bells, not to light lamps and not to use loudspeakers during the Heroes Day observation.

Last year, he was threatened at gunpoint and a squad set fire inside his house, alleging that he had observed the Heroes Day by lighting lamps and conducting special prayers at the temples in Kaarainakar.

Full text of the statement issued by the CMEV:

17th September 2013 at 12.45 a.m: Northern Province, Jaffna Electoral District, and Karainagar Electorate at Kovalam. The residence of Karainagar Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Velayudam Anaimugan (TNA) was stoned at about 12.45 a.m by a group of unknown persons.

Mr. Anaimugan stated that while he was returning from the TNA election meeting held near the Sivakamy Amman Temple at about around 10.30 p.m the previous night (16th September 2013) he observed 06 people on 03 Motor cycles in front of his house. Upon seeing him approach these individuals had allegedly fled the location. Mr. Anaimugan stated that he was only able to note the registration number of one motor cycle (VI 6465) but identified several persons in the group as officers attached to the Army intelligence. Mr. Velayudam Anaimugan has informed the Police emergency unit about this incident but has not logged a formal complaint.

When contacted by CMEV the Kayts Police station confirmed that they received a complaint that the Karainagar Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman’s house had been attacked and had deployed a mobile police team to investigate at about 1.30 a.m. The police further stated that as the complainant refused to give a statement at the time he was asked to make a statement at the Kayts police station within the course of the day but that he had not done so. Police further stated that they were unaware that this was an election related incident or that officers attached to Military intelligence units were involved.

Chronology: