Former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadre Selvanayagam Aravinthan was arrested by Vavuniya police today after he questioned the organisers of an exhibition opposing Maaveerar Naal.
Army intelligence officers held an exhibition today, displaying photos of people they claimed had been killed by the LTTE. Aravinthan questioned the intelligence officers, asking them who they were working for and why they were holding this exhibition.
The army intelligence officer replied that he was told to just stand by the exhibition and that he could not read what was written on the display boards.
Aravinthan questioned him further asking "if you don't understand what's written on the board then why are you here?"
The intelligence officer then called the organisers of the exhibtion and passed the phone to Aravinthan.
"You can't put these photos on the road. The Tamil families of the disappeared have been sat on the roadside demanding to know the fate of the disappeared - to this day have you ever given us any answers? Have you given any answers for the Tamil genocide? To this day, how many people are begging on the streets - there are no answers for that but you're disrupting the Tamil people," Aravinthan said to who he believed to be a Sri Lankan army official on the phone.
"If you're brave, if you're part of the government, then come here and speak to us. We're not hiding in fear."
The intelligence officer began packing up the exhibtion before Vavuniya police officers arrived at the scene and proceeded to arrest Aravinthan.
The exhibition was held in Vavuniya as the Tamil nation marked Maaveerar Naal. Thousands of Tamils gathered near Eechankulam Thuyilum Illam in Vavuniya to commemorate Maaveerar Naal.
