Court issues warrant on LTTE Nilaveli leader

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 February 2003, 00:49 GMT]
Trincomalee Magistrate, Mr.S.Thiagendran, Monday issued warrant on the Nilaveli political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Mr.Thooyavan, when the Kuchchaveli Police informed the court that they were unable serve the summons on him and moved that a warrant be served on him, legal sources said. The court said the warrant is returnable on March 17, legal sources said.

The Kuchchaveli Police cited Mr.Thooyavan as the respondent in their application to court under section 81 of Criminal Procedure Code in a dispute over the erection of a LTTE war memorial at Gopalapuram junction at Nilaveli village, 16 km north of Trincomalee town.

The police told the court that the investigation conducted had revealed that the site where the memorial stands belongs to the Road Development Authority and the erection of the said war memorial by the LTTE would hinder the maintenance of peace in the area.

The police filed the case on a complaint made by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN).

The said war memorial of the LTTE was constructed at the same site in 1990, thirteen years ago in remembrance of 22 LTTE cadres who died in a boat mishap in Trincomalee seas.

After the ceasefire came into operation last year, the villagers started to repair the war memorial to commemorate the thirteenth death anniversary on February 06. However the re-opening of the LTTE war memorial did not take place due to the intervention by the Sri Lanka Navy.

Furthermore the SLN deployed more personnel at the site to prevent the opening of the war memorial, sources said.

In the meantime the head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission in Trincomalee held discussions with the LTTE local leaders to diffuse tension that arose due to the ban by the SLN. However at the discussion, it was agreed to give time to the SLMM and the Trincomalee district Tamil parliamentarians to sort out the matter.