Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam on Thursday accused the infamous Tripoli platoon, a paramilitary intelligence unit, of involvement in the Easter Sunday attacks in 2019.

Speaking during the debate on the Easter Sunday attacks, Rasamanickam said the group had been involved in a spate of killings since early 2005, long before the Easter Sunday attacks.

The MP said the platoon made up of Muslim, Tamil and Sinhalese operatives was set up in 2005 and persons linked to it such as Police Faiz, Khaleel and Army Mohideen are linked to serious crimes.

He alleged that in 2004, Police Faiz established an organisation called ‘Imanian Enjangal’ as part of a state intelligence operation to foster Islamic extremism in the country. He also noted that Khaleel was one of the main accused in the murder of former MP Joseph Pararajasingham along with Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) MP Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan. “Khaleel was later released from prison during the tenure of Gotabaya Rajapaksa,” the MP pointed out.

He noted that the platoon is accused of being involved in the TRO massacre (2006), abduction and murder of Vice-Chancellor of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka Sivasubramaniam Raveendranath (2006), abduction and murder of Varsha Jude Reggie (2009) among many others.

He noted that TMVP members were implicated in these incidents and accused the military of helping the Tripoli platoon to cover up their crimes. He noted that while TMVP members Mervin and Varadaraja Janadaran along with two others were arrested for the killing of Reggy, the four suspects were allegedly killed by the State just weeks later. The MP said while the platoon carried out Government sanctioned murders, the Army in turn helped the Tripoli platoon to cover up abductions for ransom carried out by them such as in this instance.

According to Rasamanickam, the TMVP tested out an election ploy by engineering a communal clash in 2008 which they later replicated across the country through the platoon. He said during the 2008 Easter Provincial Council elections, intelligence operatives identified as Hussein and Police Faiz shot dead TMVP member Shanthan which led a Tamil group to clash with a group of Muslim youth in Kattankudy which resulted in 13 deaths. “This was carried out by Faiz connected to the Tripoli platoon,” the MP pointed out.

The MP urged the President to arrest MP MP Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan to find the truth about the Easter Sunday attack. “Arrest him to find out the truth without protecting this one MP. They only received 50,000 votes. Do not be afraid. Seek the truth,” he urged.

The MP said the group is now suppressing those such as Hussein who want to reveal the truth about these incidents.

The Opposition has on many occasions accused Chandrakanthan of leading the Tripoli platoon which was also implicated in the abduction of journalist Keith Noyahr in 2008. Chandrakanthan was a former armed fighter of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) before breaking away in April 2004 to form the breakaway faction, the TMVP which has long been linked to the Sri Lankan military.

Leg-spinner Viyaskanth Vijayakanth was handed his Indian Premier League debut today after he was named in the Sunrisers Hyderabad playing XI against the Lucknow Super Giants. Vijayakanth was drafted into the Sunrisers squad after Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga was ruled out of the tournament due to injury.

The Supreme Court in another landmark judgment today held that State Minister Diana Gamage is disqualified to be a Member of Parliament and is thus not entitled to hold office as a Member of Parliament, as she was not a citizen of Sri Lanka.

Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security along with Controller General of the Department of Immigration and Emigration have been summoned before the Committee on Public Finance tomorrow, CoPF Chairman Dr. Harsha De Silva said today.

The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) will hold a discussion shortly to decide on who will fill the national list slot that has fallen vacant as a result of the Supreme Court decision that Diana Gamage cannot function as an MP as she is not a citizen of Sri Lanka, party General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara said today.

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) founder Basil Rajapaksa reasserted yesterday that his party still believes the general election should precede the presidential elections but President Ranil Wickremesinghe has a contrasting stand, according to an informed source of the party.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe stressed that the enhancement of the rural economy pivots on agricultural advancement. He highlighted the pivotal role of dedicated government officials at the grassroots level in ensuring the success of various government initiatives aimed at rural development, notably the agricultural modernization program.

A deal struck by Sri Lanka with IVS-GBS-VFS Global, a private contractor, is worth 840 million dollars over its 12-year lifetime, opposition legislator S M Marikkar said in parliament. The firm was charging 18.5 dollars per visa and a 5 to 7 dollar ‘convenience fee’ on top of the government visa fee from tourists trying to enter Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka’s Tourism Minister Harin Fernando said he has objected to fees charged from foreign tourists by VFS Global, a private company, though he has not resigned from cabinet.

Sri Lanka’s Public Security Minister Tiran Alles who is also in charge of visa issuance under the Department of Immigration and Emigration defended the newly appointed visa facilitating agency VFS-led consortium, new visa system, and accused sabotage attempts by a few handful immigration officials for a recent controversy that has gone viral in social media.

A revision application filed by Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe challenging the legality of the enjoining order issued by the Colombo District Court preventing him from functioning as the acting chairman of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) was today dismissed by the Court of Appeal.

Indo-Pacific Regional Director of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Ben Mellor met NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the JVP Head Office this afternoon.

Chief Opposition Whip MP Lakshman Kiriella raised concerns in Parliament today over the newly introduced visa issuance system at the Katunayake Airport, claiming that the Parliament was not informed of the decision on the charges of global visa processing service, VFS Global.

Sri Lanka tourism witnessed a drop in momentum in April with the number of international visitors falling below the 200,000 mark for the first time this year.

Uncertainty looms over the relaunch of the Japan -financed light rail project (LRT) even after the country’s debt restructuring process is concluded since Japan has decided not to discuss it , according to an official of the Japanese government.

Around 15 Opposition MPs are ready to support a Bill that would include legislation related to rapid development of the country and the agreement reached with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Bill is to be presented to Parliament by President Ranil Wickremesinghe on May 08.

The Sri Lankan Rupee has depreciated slightly against the US Dollar at commercial banks in Sri Lanka today (May 06) compared to last week. According to Seylan Bank, the buying and selling rates of the US Dollar have dropped from Rs. 290.90 to Rs. 290.75 and from Rs. 301.40 to Rs. 301.25, respectively.

Action will be taken against the person who caused a disturbance at the visa issuing section at the Katunayake Airport, Public Security Minister Tiran Alles said today. He told a news conference that steps will also be taken against the officers who recorded the incident.

Around 22 persons, including 11 females, have been arrested following a tense situation at a protest in Anuradhapura. The tense situation was reported after a group of unemployed graduates surrounded the North Central Provincial Council building in protest, seeking solutions to their demands.

The Japanese government has finalized a plan to provide Sri Lanka with a vessel equipped with underwater sonar for detecting the location of other vessels in order to improve the country’s oceanographic survey capabilities, according to Japanese Deputy Press Secretary Kaneko Mariko.

The Government of India has decided to bear the cost towards applicable taxes and other charges to the tune of over LKR 25 million per month for a period of one year for the passenger ferry service between Nagapattinam in India and Kankesanthurai (KKS).