Colonel Kittu's tenth anniversary commemorated

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 January 2003, 22:54 GMT]
The tenth death anniversary of Colonel Kittu, a senior commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was observed in northeastern province Thursday. Colonel Kittu and nine other LTTE members committed suicide when the Indian Navy cordoned off the boat in which they were sailing to Sri Lanka. Kittu was the head of the LTTE's International Secretariat at the time of his death.

Trincomalee district TNA parliamentarian Mr.R.Sampanthan lighting the lamp in front of Colonel Kittu’s photo.

Photographs of Col. Kittu and the nine other LTTE members were placed in a specially constructed memorial. Hundreds of people took part in the commemoration, sources in the eastern town said.

At the Trincomalee district political office of the LTTE, the mother-in-law of Colonel Kittu lit the flame of sacrifice and Trincomalee district Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian Mr.R. Sampanthan lit the light of sacrifice in front of the photograph of Colonel Kittu .Ms Kaaronja, Trincomalee district educational head of the LTTE garlanded the photograph of Colonel Kittu.

Mr.Atputhan, LTTE Kanniya political head hoisted the Thamileelam national flag. Mr.Thennavan, a senior LTTE member, head of the LTTE martyr's section in Trincomalee district presided.

Colonel Kittu's mother-in-law lighting the flame of sacrifice.

"Colonel Kittu was the commander of the Jaffna peninsula at a time when the LTTE did not possess modern weaponry. Colonel Kittu led several successive battles with the Sri Lanka Army in Jaffna. He was military leader who was loved by the people of Jaffna. When he was in United Kingdom Colonel Kittu made his presence to harness world support to the Tamil armed freedom struggle," said Mr.Sampanthan, Tamil National Alliance MP for the Trincomalee district.

Mr.Sampanthan said the government of Sri Lanka and the world have realized the strength of the Tamil people's armed freedom struggle.

Mr.Sampanthan further said, "the resettlement of displaced in their lands has now become a serious problem. No one can deny the right of the displaced that they should be allowed to return to their own lands. It is a basic human and fundamental right of the displaced to resettle in their lands whether their properties come inside the high security zone or out side."

Photographs of Colonel Kittu and nine other LTTE cadres died ten years ago were placed in a specially constructed memorial.