Sri Lanka claims Tamil diaspora funded former LTTE cadre who died in explosion

by Thusiyan
Jul 14, 2020

Sri Lanka’s ministry of defence has published an article which claims that a former LTTE cadre who was killed in an explosion earlier this month, received funding from abroad “to create incidents in the North”.

The ministry of defence carried reported quotes it claimed to have taken from Thangarasa Devadasan, who was killed in a reported explosion in Kilinochchi. 

The article, which published a photograph of the injured and heavily bandaged former LTTE cadre in his hospital bed, claims he was “funded by a senior LTTE supporter, who is now residing in France”.

It also claimed that Thangarasa “accepted that he also carried out minor explosions using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Vallipuram, Nelliadi and Dharmapuram areas previously”.

Thangarasa died in Anuradhapura General Hospital last week.

His death comes amidst a spate of arrests in the North-East, with the Sri Lankan security forces arresting several Tamils on charges of ‘regrouping the LTTE’. Amongst those arrested was a 17-year-old child.

The arrests also come as campaigning for Sri Lanka’s parliamentary elections next month continued. During presidential elections last year, there was a similar crackdown on Tamils across the North-East.

 

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