July 14, 2013, 10:35 pm
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Jaffna District Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP Sivagnanam Sritharan has claimed that he recently thwarted an attempt by the army in the north to rape 200 Tamil speaking girls.
Addressing a group of Sri Lankans at Murugan kovil in Montreal on July 10, MP Sritharan alleged that the girls were being taken away by the army when he intervened. The MP was responding to a member of the audience who queried his motive for campaigning against the government while being a member of parliament.
MP Sritharan emphasised that he could save Tamil speaking people only if he remained in Sri Lanka and continued to serve the people as an MP.
An authoritative government official told The Island that the Canadian government was turning a blind eye to what was going on. Responding to a query, the official asserted that the meeting would have been under surveillance by Canadian authorities therefore they could easily verify the MP’s claim.
However, the member of the audience, who was subsequently identified as an ex-LTTE cadre, alleged that the TNA was collecting funds on the pretext of fighting for Tamil speaking people in Sri Lanka.
Sources quoted MP Sritharan as having said that he was looking after the disabled, particularly those who had fought for the LTTE. They said that MP Sritharan and two of his associates received donations from many of those present, including some clergymen.
Addressing the gathering MP Sritharan said that LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran had fought successive governments for 30 years. Alleging that the Tamil community had lost everything because of the Sinhalese, the MP said that they couldn’t do anything in Sri Lanka. Sources quoted the MP as having said: "You should tell your children and create a Tamil organisation.
Tell them Prabhakaran’s story. We cannot start a war in Sri Lanka, only you can start it."
The ex-LTTE cadre urged the politician to move on to Canada if he felt the next battle should start there.
Sources said that the MP had left Murugan kovil at 10:00 p.m after having declared that his presence in Sri Lanka was necessary to intervene on behalf of Tamil speaking people at the mercy of the government. MP Sritharan cited the alleged attempt by the army to rape 200 Tamil speaking girls a major reason for his inability to take up residence in Canada.
MP Sritharan was not available for comment.
Military spokesman Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya told The Island there had never been such an allegation during the entire conflict. Asked whether the TNA or any other party had raised such an issue since the conclusion of the conflict in May 2009, Brigadier Wanigasooriya pointed out that had it been true, the TNA would have raised it in Sri Lanka. Now that an allegation regarding an attempt to rape Tamil girls had been made, the TNA MP should make a detailed statement on his return to Sri Lanka, the Brigadier said.
A senior police officer told The Island that the police would probably seek to record a statement from the MP with regard to the alleged attempt to rape Tamil girls and the project in support of disabled LTTE cadres.
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