Former Eastern Province CM Pillayan arrested

Former Eastern Province Chief Minister Sivanesathirai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan was arrested by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) today.

Pillayan’s spokesman Azad Maulana said that the CID had gone to his house in Batticaloa last night with a warrant to arrest him.

However he was not at home and as a result he visited the CID office today where he was arrested.

Pillayan was arrested in connection to the murder of Joseph Pararajasingham, a senior Tamil politician and former Batticaloa district Member of Parliament (MP) of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA).

He was shot dead in December 2005 at St. Mary’s co-cathedral church in the Batticaloa town while attending Christmas prayers.

The MP’s wife, Mrs. Sugunam Pararajasingham sustained serious injuries in the gunfire while?several others were also injured.

Pillayan was part of the Karuna Amman led Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pullikal (TMVP) at the time Pararajasingham was killed.

The TMVP had split from the LTTE and fought against the LTTE but an internal rift in the TMVP say Pilayan and Karuna go their separate ways and in 2007 Pillayan was made leader of the TMVP.

The TMVP contested the Eastern Provincial Council elections in 2008 and won and?Pillayan was made Chief Minister.

Th former Government of Mahinda Rajapaksa used Pillayan to promote the idea of terrorist turned politician who entered democracy.

However human rights groups said that Pillayan should be investigated for the crimes he had committed as an LTTE member and as a TMVP fighter. (Colombo Gazette)