SLN stops repairs to LTTE war memorial

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 February 2003, 18:55 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) Sunday morning deployed its personnel preventing repairs to a Liberation Tigers war memorial at the Gopalapuram junction, in Nilaveli village, sixteen km off north of Trincomalee town, residents of the area said.

War memorial for 22 LTTE cadres being repaired for Feb 06 commemoration

Concerned residents started repairing this war memorial last month in preparation to commemorate the deaths of 22 LTTE cadres on February 06, residents said. The 22 LTTE cadres died in a boat mishap in sea close to Trincomalee in 1990 when they were returning after a successful attack on an ENDLF camp at Jamaliya in Uppuveli, sources said.

The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) destroyed the LTTE war memorial in November 1990. Since then it remained in dilapidated state until few weeks back.

With the ceasefire between the United National Front government and Liberation Tigers came into force, people of Gopalapuram made arrangements to repair the war memorial and the repair works started a few weeks ago, sources said.

Saturday, suddenly a group of SLA personnel went to the site and ordered to stop repairs. Sunday early morning SLN deployed about fifteen of navy personnel around the site of the war memorial preventing repair works.

A complaint has been lodged with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Trincomalee regarding this incident, sources said.

The memorial stood as a rememberence to Major Kamal, Major Suresh, Major mathi, Captain Anparasan, Captain Kugan, Captain Nemi, Captain Mahes, Captain Ragu, Lieutenant Gilbert, Lieutanant Kirupan, Second Lieutenant Santhan (Naina Mohamed Niyas, Second Lieutenant Ashok, Second Lieutenant Sankar, Second Lieutenant Nava, cadres Bairavan, Kumar, Kanthi, Karuna, Viji, Mathi, Suresh and Soni, the 22 LTTE cadres who perished at sea.