‘Crude oil attacks’ target TNPF organisers of civil protests: Gajendrakumar

Anandarajah & Ponnambalam

The house of Rajappu Edward Anandarajah, the president of All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC) and the vice president of the Tamil National Peoples’ Front (TNPF), situated in Nelliyadi in Vadamaraadchi has also been attacked almost simultaneously as a squad targeted the house of Kandeepan Thangarajah, the central committee member of the TNPF in the early hours of Tuesday.
Both the attacks on key members of the party in Vadamaraadchi, have come a day before the TNPF is scheduled to hold a peaceful protest at Nelliyadi on Wednesday against the recent slaying of Tamil prisoner Nimalaroopan, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, the leader of the TNPF, told reporters in Jaffna.

“Our activities are entirely democratic and they are not in breach of any Law. We believe it is our right to carry out these protests,” Mr Gajendrakumar who visited the house of Mr Edward Anandarajah, told media Tuesday.

The house of ACTC president Edward Anandarajah, subjected to attack in the early hours of Tuesday

The president of the ACTC, Mr Anandarajah, added that the protest planned at Nelliyadi will take place as schedule despite the threats he and his colleagues were facing.

The TNPF has also been the initiator of the protest campaign against land grab. The Sri Lankan police blocked the first protest against land grab in front of Jaffna bus stand with a court order. However, the protest campaign received support from the Tamil National Alliance, which organised the protests that followed in Valikaamam North, in Thiru-mu’rika’ndi and in Mannaar with the support of TNPF, DPF, USP and the NSSP.

Edward Anandarajah and his family escaped from the attack carried out by a squad that threw stones and crude oil into his house, causing damage to properties around 2:00 a.m.

Almost at the same time, a similar attack was reported on the house on Kandeepan Thangarajah, a central committee member of the TNPF.

In addition to his participation in the protests against land grab and the mistreatment of Tamil Prisoners of War and political prisoners, Kandeepan Thangarajah has also voiced against the destructive sand scooping taking place at his village, Kudaththanai.

The pattern of the attacks have exposed that the SL military intelligence in Jaffna has engaged its squads to disturb the civil protests by targeting the organisers.

The organisers of the protest have also been harassed in recent days by the Sri Lankan Police who were insisting to cancel the protest, news sources in Vadamaraadchi said.
TN