GoSL should take responsibility for Raviraj's assassination - Sampanthan

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 November 2006, 14:03 GMT]
R. Sampanthan, Leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said Friday in Colombo to the press, "Raviraj's assassination is a clear attempt by the paramilitary operating with the Sri Lanka Army to stifle the Tamil parliamentarians' voice in and out of the Parliament to inform the International Community of the Sri Lanka Government's genocide against the Tamils." Sampanthan further said, "Almost an year has passed since the assassination of Batticaloa parliamentarian Joseph Pararajasingam and the Sri Lanka government is yet to bring the killers to book. This reveals the covert connections the government has with them."

Ranil Wickremasinghe, the Leader of the Opposition and the head of United National Party (UNP) expressing his condolence on Raviraj's demise in his press release Friday condemning the assassination said, "Within a year of parliamentarian Joseph Pararajasingham's assassination Raviraj has been killed. This is a threat to democracy. We strongly condemn this cowardly act and urge the government to take legal actions to bring the killers to justice besides providing adequate security measures to Tamil parliamentarians."

S. B. Dissanayake, a senior member of UNP, after visiting the Colombo National Hospital morgue where the remains of Raviraj is kept said, "The Sri Lanka government should hold itself responsible for Raviraj's assassination without blaming Karuna group or any other and tell the public who the killers are."

The police who recovered a helmet and a bag used to carry weapons at the site of the shooting said that Raviraj who was driving the car and his body guard seated beside him were shot at point blank range.

Mano Ganeshan, parliamentarian and leader of Western Peoples' Front party said the GoSL should take responsibility for Raviraj's assassination.

'Tamils' struggle cannot be contained by this cowardly killing," said TNA parliamentarian Sivagilingam. He added that the killers of Raviraj are the paramilitaries operating with the Sri Lanka Army.

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