Discrepancies, irregularities in kidnap claim

by Manjula Fernando and Uditha Kumarasinghe

The Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) claim on the abduction of five of their members contains a lot of discrepancies and irregularities, but the Government is committed to inquire into the allegations for the sake of the peace process, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera said yesterday.

"I can assure you, the President and his Government will not allow anyone to sabotage the talks which resumed after three long years," he stressed, appealing to the LTTE to show the same commitment towards the peace process.

Speaking at the weekly Cabinet news briefing at the Information Department, Samaraweera said the Government has appointed a fully fledged team comprising top intelligence officers to probe the alleged kidnapping at Welikanda on Monday.

The team comprises two DIGs, four Senior SPs and 20 investigating officers and is assigned on the case in addition to three intelligence units already working on the case.

Because of international pressure on the TRO, a LTTE front charity, with the European Union and Australia bracing to scrutinise their fund raising activities, Samaraweera said one would wonder whether the allegations were a mere sympathy call or an attempt to divert attention.

The Minister in response to queries also did not rule out a third hand trying to sabotage the peace process which gained some headway, after a three-year deadlock, with the parties consenting to meet in Geneva this month to start negotiations from the ceasefire agreement.

Pointing out the obvious failure by the TRO to report the incident to police over lame claims, the Minister questioned why they did not use their influential Colombo office to report the case directly to Police headquarters if they were so organised to launch a 'well coordinated propaganda drive' immediately afterwards.

"The investigation is raising more questions than answers," he quipped. The TRO Director is said to have mentioned the alleged abductions to the IGP casually at a social event in Colombo after nearly 30 hours from the incident.

He assured the investigators will go to the 'bottom of the case' to find those behind the incident and their motive as it would be crucial to the continuation of the peace process.

The Government is determined to nab the culprits and the President is personally seeing to it, the Minister added.