Embassy rejects claims on Paris killing

The Sri Lankan Embassy in France termed as ?ridiculous? accusations that the military intelligence was behind the assassination of a former LTTE commander in France.

Sri Lanka?s Ambassador to France, Dayan Jayatilleka, told The Sunday Leader that the French law enforcement authorities are investigating the incident.
Nadarajah Mathinthiran alias Parithi, an ex-LTTE commander who had left the movement in the early 90?s and later coordinated Tamil political activities in France since 2003, was killed on Thursday evening outside the office of the Tamil Coordinating Committee (TCC) in Paris.

?It would not be appropriate for me to comment on something that is obviously under investigation by the French authorities, except to say that the culture of lethal violence of the Tiger/pro-Tiger milieu seems to be very much intact. It is this culture of violence that exercises tremendous psychological coercion upon and within the Tamil Diaspora and prevents the emergence of truly democratic, pluralist politics. As for the ridiculous accusations by certain pro-secessionist propagandist websites, I am quite certain that the French law enforcement authorities will investigate this crime and identify, apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators as well as those behind it,? he said.

Mathinthiran was shot at least three times when he was leaving the office of the TCC at Pyrenees in Paris 20, reports said.

Mathinthiran was given with the nom de guerre Reagon when he joined the LTTE in 1983. He received his military training in the 2nd batch of the LTTE?s training programme provided by India. Some of his batch mates in the training camp in India were Kumarappa, Bhanu, Ranjan Lala and Vasu, reports said.

Reagon took part in the early operations of the LTTE against the military in Mannar, Jaffna and Vanni. He was a middle-level commander when he left the LTTE in the early 90?s.