EIGHT TAMIL TIGERS CHARGED FOR CARRYING WEAPONS AND AMMUNITION REMANDED UNTIL JULY 18 BY BATTICALOA MAGISTRATE
By Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles
July 17.05.30 AM:Eight Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres were ordered remanded by Batticaloa Magistrate Abdul Gafoor until July 18 when all suspects of the rebel group who were discovered by the Police of carrying military like weapons and ammunition into Sri Lanka government controlled area were produced before him, legal records revealed.
The eight rebels produced before the magistrate were: KADIRASAI PILLAI RAJIDE KUMAR alias RAJISAN (18) (LTTE no. 4128), SRIDARAN SUDAKARAN alias KANNAN (18), GOPALASINGHAM DAYANANDAN alias NANDAN (18), THIYAGARASA MURALIDARAN alias KANTALAN (17) (LTTE no. 3777), SIVANADAN THIRUMANJU alias THAMILBASE (21) (LTTE no. 5263), NAVARATNAM PRANEETHA MALAR alias TERIKONDAI (25) (LTTE no. 58811), NAVARATNAM MANJULA alias THILAKAWADEE (19), VINAYAGAMURTHI SHAMILA alias SUWARIVIL (21).
The Police detected four hand grenades, ninety rounds T56 ammunition , ten 9mm pistol rounds, two T56 magazines, one belt order, one pouch, two field dressings, and several other items concealed in the vehicle, the police said. The prosecution said the 102 rounds of ammunition and weapons were concealed in a parcel inside the Toyota van number 251-2655 which also was transporting the LTTE cadres.
The said transportation of weapons and ammunition also allegedly violated the Ceasefire agreement signed between Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and terrorist leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.
The LTTE lawyers who appeared for the defense argued that the girls only received a ride in the vehicle.
But prosecuting Police inspector P.P. Wickramaratne argued that all passengers traveling in the vehicle were culpable under the offensive Weapons Act and only the Court of Appeal is capable of granting them bail
The magistrate ordered them remanded until July 18.
