CID to expedite Nimalarajan, Kumar murder investigations

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 February 2002, 18:44 GMT]
The Attorney General (AG) has directed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Sri Lanka Police to expedite the investigations into the murders of Mr.Maylvaganam Nimalarajan, a Jaffna based Tamil journalist and Mr.Kumar Ponnambalam, leader of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress, legal sources said. The Attorney General would shortly review the progress of the investigations so far conducted by the CID in this regard, the sources said.

Human rights sources and several media institutions have criticized the way in which the investigations into these murders were conducted in the past.

Mr.Mylvaganam Nimalarajan was gunned down by some unidentified persons in the Sri Lanka Army's high security zone in Jaffna on October 19, 2000. Mr.Nimalarajan fearlessly reported the intimidation, thuggery and election malpractice during October,2000 general elections in Jaffna.

Independent sources suspected a Tamil political group which was an ally of the then government had been involved in the journalist's murder.

Mr.Kumar Ponnambalam, ACTC leader was gunned down by some unidentified persons in the heart of Colombo in day time on January 5, 2000. Tamil sources suspected the involvement of State security forces in Mr.Kumar Ponnambalam's murder as he was fearlessly criticizing the government for human rights violation perpetrated on Tamil people.

But no tangible progress has been made in the investigations to find the culprits behind these mystery killings so far even after two years have passed, Tamil sources said.

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