EPDP KILLERS ASSAINATE UNP MAHESWARAN

EPDP killers assassinate six civilians a day in Jaffna where jungle law prevails -Maheshwaran
(LeN, 2008 Jan. 01, 9.20 AM)
United National Party (UNP) MP T. Maheswaran says that a group of assassins brought from Colombo kills six civilians each day in Jaffna.
Making a statement to 'Lanka-e-News' on abductions, killings and the shortage of essential food items in Jaffna, MP Maheswaran says that the killers are sent from
Colombo for one-month service term and they are stationed in EPDP camps guarded by Sri Lanka Army. Maheswaran says that the teams are changed time to time to hide their identity.
Describing his recent five-day visit to Jaffna, Maheswaran said that the people said to him with tears how they suffer under the armed gangs that abduct, kill and rob people.


He said that people said to him that these killer teams ask for Rs. 5000 ransom and kill people if not paid. Most people do not stay at homes in the nights and
spend the nights in safe places, he says.
When 'Lanka-e-News' enquired why people do not complain, MP Maheswaran said that they have no one to look into these matters and the complainers are killed
too.
In some occasions, Tamil youths are arrested under false charges if they do not consent to the attempts to abuse them. He said that jungle law prevails in Jaffna.
The MP pointed out that essential food is not provided to Jaffna people at least on rations. He is to produce a complete report in this regard to the parliament on
January 8. Several names of the killers are also to be revealed. He said that this report would be produced to the international community, especially to India.
MP Maheswaran further stated that he was provided 18 member security squad since seven and half years but recently, it was slashed to one ignoring security
concerns. When 'Lanka-e-News' enquired why he was not given the two police personnel entitled to a MP, he said that although two were given they are on duty on
turns.
He said that he had no problem about war with LTTE. But he says that the opponents are labeled LTTE to take revenge.


“Govt. responsible for my life”, Maheswaran in final TV interview
[01-01-2008 1.46pm]


“My life is increasingly at risk after the reduction of my security from 18 personnel to only one. Even state intelligence has established that
there are threats to me. Therefore, the government should take full responsibility,” UNP MP T. Maheswaran told the media just three days prior to his murder. Participating in “Minnel” talk-show of Shakthi TV on December 30th, he had spoken at length on threats to his person.
Maheswaran had also severely criticized the government for incidents of abduction, extortion and killing in Jaffna and said an organized 10-member gang sent from
Colombo was responsible.
A Tamil minister is leading this paramilitary gang, the UNP MP had said, promising to expose all those involved when parliament begins sittings on January 08th.
Maheswaran, who was gunned down today (Jan. 01st) at a kovil in Kochchikade, Colombo, escaped an attempt on his life in 2004.
Thiagaraja Maheswaran, 42, was a businessman by profession.
He was fatally shot by a lone gunman this morning and underwent emergency surgery at the Colombo National Hospital.
He died a few moments later.
His bodyguard Kumaran Mahendran also died from the incident, while several other people who were gathered at the kovil at the time, sustained injuries.
Maheswaran was the third Tamil parliamentarian to be murdered after the present regime assumed office, the other two being TNA’s Joseph Pararajasingham in
Batticaloa in 2005 and Nadaraja Raviraj at Narahenpita in November the following year.


Sri Lanka opposition lawmaker assassinated in capital
The Associated Press Tuesday, January 1, 2008 COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: An opposition lawmaker was assassinated at a New Year's religious service in Sri Lanka's capital Tuesday. The legislator's party blamed the government for recently reducing his security detail.
A gunman opened fire at ethnic Tamil lawmaker Thyagaraja Maheswaran of the opposition United National Party at a Hindu temple in Colombo, police spokesman N.K. Ilangakoon said.
Maheswaran was killed two days after he appeared in a private television interview and blamed government paramilitary troops for a spate of abductions, extortion schemes and unexplained killings in government-controlled northern Jaffna peninsula. He vowed to reveal the names of those involved when Parliament meets in the new year.
The lawmaker and one other person died of their wounds after they were admitted to Colombo National Hospital, the hospital's medical director Hector Weerasinghe said. Ten other people were wounded, including the suspected gunman, and were being treated at the hospital, he said.
The suspect, an ethnic Tamil from Jaffna, was wounded when Maheswaran's security officials returned fire, Ilangakoon said.
UNP's General Secretary Tissa Attanayake held the government responsible for Maheswaran's assassination because it recently reduced the number of security personnel assigned for his protection to two from 10, after the lawmaker spoke out against the government's alleged misdeeds.
"The government should take the responsibility for this tragic death. Maheswaran's security was reduced during the last two weeks, making him vulnerable for an attack of this nature," Attanayake said.
"He spoke about corruption, malpractices, abductions, unlawful killings and blamed government for not taking effective measures to stop them."
President Mahinda Rajapaksa's spokesman Chandrapala Liyanage denied reducing the number of security personnel assigned to Maheswaran and said the lawmaker was given special protection whenever requested.
Hundreds of people have been abducted and killed under shadowy circumstances in restive northern Sri Lanka, where Tamil Tiger rebels are active.
Rights groups have accused government forces of conniving with armed groups, a charge the government vehemently denies.
Maheswaran survived a similar shooting three years ago while running for general elections.
In 2006, Tamil lawmaker Nadarajah Raviraj, another government critic, also was gunned down in Colombo.
Lawmaker Mano Ganeshan, a vocal government critic, has fled the country after the government withdrew his security, party official Nalliah Kumaraguruparan said.
Maheswaran belonged to the minority Tamil community for whom the separatist Tamil Tigers have been waging a war against government forces since 1983. The conflict has killed more than 70,000 people.
All Tamil militants except the Tamil Tiger group gave up arms in 1987, accepting an India-brokered power-sharing deal. Since then, there has been tension between different Tamil groups, with the Tigers calling other groups traitors and killing their members.
The government has courted these enraged groups and uses them in its campaign against the rebels.
Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry said in a statement that clashes between government forces and the rebels across northern Sri Lanka on Monday left 24 rebels killed.
There was no immediate comment from the rebels.