LTTE’S ATTEMPTED JAIL BREAK IN BATTICALOA, LED BY DEPUTY POLITICAL LEADER TO GET THE RELEASE OF MURDER SUSPECT FAILS
By Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles
June 27.10.45 AM: The attempt of a Tamil Tiger armed gang to jail break Batticaloa government prisons and get the release of an important member of their political unit miserably failed , police sources said.
The campaign of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to get an important leader of their political unit now charged for the murder of a Tamil army sergeant took a new turn when seven LTTE armed men and women attempted a futile jail break to get the release of the remand prisoner at the Batticaloa Prison recently, June 23.
The attempt to get the release of Subaraj Sathyarajah , an important leader of the LTTE’s Batticaloa political unit who is in the protection custody of the remand jail for the murder of Sri Lanka Army sergeant K.Thevasooriyan of 9th Sri Lanka National Guard, May 9 2003 , failed , Batticaloa police sources said.
It was alleged by the sources that the jail breaking party was led by the LTTE deputy political leader Senadhiraj who arrived at the Batticaloa Prison on the vehicle with a registration number, 59-9265 and force-opened the main gate and the main door despite protests and objections by the officers and guards on duty.
The alleged jail breaking party led by the LTTE deputy political leader Senadhiraj of nine pistol brandishing men and women also were allegedly armed with hand grenades. Sources said the party consisted seven men and two women.
After entering through the main door they allegedly demanded the keys to the cell of Subaraj Sathyarajah . The officer who had the key cunningly evaded the jail breakers and hid himself in the prisons, sources said
Before leaving utterly disappointed from the prison premises the intruding party also allegedly threatened prison officers and guards if the news of them was ever leaked out to the media or conveyed to the security forces in the area, they would be killed.
Police said , after the invasion of the LTTE armed gang police security in and around the prison has been intensified.
Police said it had become a common sight in Batticaloa, to see LTTE cadres brandishing guns in the government controlled areas although ceasefire agreement allowed them to enter government-controlled areas unarmed for political activities only. Now, the so called political units are armed with the intent to kill , they charged. Even Subaraj Sathyarajah , who was known as a political worker was caught by civilians who knew about his murder and handed over to the police, sources said.
The remand prisoner, Subaraj Sathyarajah , is accused of the murder of army sergeant K.Thevasooriyan at close range , May 19, 2003, while the deceased was taking a hair cut at Puttur.
The LTTE also abducted two policemen of the Batticaloa police and said they would be released if Sathyarajah was releleased.
Some relatives of the abducted policemen visited the policemen held in a LTTE military detention center. One of the relatives D.S.Chaminda appealed to the government over the Sinhala service of the BBC Sandeshaya to release Sathyarajah to get their relatives released by the LTTE.The High Court has ordered Sathyarajah remanded until July 3 2003.
