SARATH AMUNUGAMA DEMANDS SRILANKAN COLLABORATION IN THE THAI INVESTIGATIONS INTO SMUGGLING PISTOLS TO LANKA’S REBELS
By Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles
May 17. 09.10 PM:The spokesman of Sri Lanka’s main opposition party, the People’s Alliance demanded that the Ranil Wickremesinghe administration should fully cooperate with the Thai police investigating into illegal smuggling of weapons into Sri Lanka by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Dr. Sarath Amunugama, the spokesman of the opposition People’s Alliance addressing reporters at a Colombo press conference said the Wickremesinghe administration, despite the ongoing ceasefire agreement with the LTTE, should provide all available details about the Tiger suspects arrested with weapons in Thailand and cooperate fully with the Thai authorities investigating into the matter. .
The Thai police arrested three LTTE cadres in Bangkok with 13 semi-automatic pistols and 45,000 rounds of ammunition , a category of weapons and ammunition the LTTE assassins have been increasingly using against Tamil intelligence officers of the Sri Lanka Army and rival political leaders of parties such as EPDP, EPRLF and PLOTE. Despite an ongoing ceasefire the Tamil Tigers allegedly shot and killed many elected local government heads.and activists of rival political parties
Dr. Sarath Amunugama was referring to the following LTTE cadres who were taken into custody by the Thai police: Asservatham Sahaayapavan(39) of Jaffna, Thevaraja Sasiharan (29) of Nedunkerny and Gunapala Sujeev (27) from Chemiyanpur.
The Bangkok Post newspaper quoting police sources said among the weapons taken into custody were 10 nine millimeter Glock Pistols and 3 eleven millimeter HK mark twenty three pistols together with 45.000 rounds of assorted ammunition.
Thai Police also said five mobile phones were with them and one of them had been programmed to call overseas through satellite. Police said those who were arrested admitted they belonged to the terrorist organization The weapons had been sent to Ranong from Bangkok for shipment to Sri Lanka.
The arrested terrorists however , refused to reveal the source of their supply, Thail Police also said. The Thai Police requested the assistance of the Sri Lanka government.
“We demand that this government take this threat seriously and collaborate with Thai government in the investigation,” Amunugama said.
