Island attack said test for Colombo's bona fides

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 June 2002, 16:51 GMT]
Mr. Pulithevan, a senior official of the political division of the Liberation Tigers, told a conference attended by the Sri Lankan security forces commander for Jaffna, Major General Sarath Fonseka, Vice Admiral Mohan Wijewickrema of the Sri Lanka Navy, Mr. Kirthie Gajanayake, Deputy Inspector General of the Sri Lanka Police and the head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, Major General (Retd) Trond Furuhovde in Jaffna Saturday that a full inquiry should be held on the attack on Mr. Semmanan, the head of the LTTE's political division for the islands off Jaffna, and that the culprits be brought to book if Colombo is serious about stabilizing the island's peace process.

Mr.Pulithevan told Major General (Retd) Trond Furuhovde that stern action should be taken against the culprits who were involved in the attack on the LTTE's political workers in the island of Kayts on Thursday night.

The LTTE official asked the SLMM to ensure that no such attacks would take place in future with a view to deliberately sabotaging the peace process.

Following the conference, the team of Sri Lankan security forces officers from Colombo went to Velanai to hold an inquiry into the attack on Mr. Semmanan on Thursday night allegedly by troopers of the Sri Lanka Navy and the paramilitary group working assisting it to combat the Liberation Tigers in the north.