{"id":51070,"date":"2017-02-05T23:22:27","date_gmt":"2017-02-06T04:22:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=51070"},"modified":"2017-02-05T23:24:56","modified_gmt":"2017-02-06T04:24:56","slug":"overseas-ltte-backed-plot-to-assassinate-tna-mp-sumanthiran-in-jaffna-revealed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=51070","title":{"rendered":"Overseas LTTE Backed Plot To Assassinate  TNA MP Sumanthiran in Jaffna Revealed"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fb-like\" data-href=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/archives\/51070\" data-layout=\"button_count\" data-action=\"like\" data-show-faces=\"true\" data-share=\"true\"><\/div>\n<p><b>By<br \/>\nD.B.S.Jeyaraj<\/b><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Nallavan&#8221; <b> (not his real name) <\/b> is a Tamil youth living in a Northern village. He was a former member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) organization who had surrendered to the armed forces in May 2009.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/MAS-600x446.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"446\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-51071\" \/><\/p>\n<p>He  was incarcerated for a period of time and released after undergoing  a process of rehabilitation. Life in a post-war Northern environment was  painfully  difficult because  Nallavan could not  get gainful employment anywhere.  Neither did he have adequate financial resources to go abroad. Nallavan lived with an aged aunt and engaged occasionally in manual work as a  casual worker whenever possible.<\/p>\n<p>Nallavan was approached by a former LTTE cadre  called &#8220;Master&#8221; in November last year. Master asked &#8220;Nallavan&#8221; to hoist the LTTE flag  clandestinely at  particular places in Kilinochchi on November 26th night. The following day Nov 27th was the &#8220;Maaveerar  Naal&#8221; or Great heroes day of the LTTE. He was offered 5000 rupees for it. Nallavan being hard -pressed accepted the offer and executed the assigned task. He was promptly paid the sum promised.<\/p>\n<p>A few days later  &#8220;Master&#8221; came to meet Nallavan in the company of another ex-tiger with a disfigured hand. They had a proposition. Nallavan was asked to join them on a new mission. He was told that there was a &#8220;contract&#8221; to kill an important Tamil politician. Nallavan would be given fifteen lakhs of rupees payment. Also safe passage would be provided for him if necessary to go to India and from there to Europe via a south-east Asian country. The duo said some tiger leaders living overseas had wanted this done and guaranteed payment and safe passage. Nallavan said he could arrive at a decision only if he knew who the target was. When the ex-tiger duo revealed the name of the target Nallavan was shocked.<\/p>\n<p>The Tamil politician target was Maithiaparanam Abraham Sumanthiran the Tamil National alliance MP from Jaffna district. When  told that the contract was to kill Sumanthiran, a horrified Nallavan  refused vehemently. He said that he had  been observing Sumanthiran&#8217;s politics in recent times and had been impressed by him. Nallavan said the war was now over and  that Tamils must live in Sri Lanka with equal rights. He said Sumanthiran along with people like Sampanthan and Senathirajah were doing their best to win back the lost rights of  Tamils without violence through democratic methods. Besides as a lawyer Sumanthiran was helping in the cases of so many Tamils including ex &#8211; tiger cadres. Nallavan also said that laying hands on  someone like Sumanthiran would upset the  present situation of  fragile peace and invite massive  state suppression.<br \/>\n<!--more--><br \/>\nThe other two did not agree. They insisted that Sumanthiran was a traitor and had to be weeded out. Nallavan however  stood his ground firmly in the ensuing argument and insisted that no attempt should be made on anyone&#8217;s life in general and Sumanthiran in particular. Seeing Nallavan&#8217;s determination and firm resolve  the other two departed saying we will give up this idea. They told Nallavan the matter was over and to forget what happened.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_51092\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-51092\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/MN-O-1-300x69.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"69\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-51092\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-51092\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;Maveerar Naal&#8221; overseas-Nov 2016<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Nothing more was heard and Nallavan thought the assassination plan had been abandoned. However  a few weeks later Nallavan ran across the guy called &#8220;Master&#8221; and simply asked him in Tamil &#8220;How are things going?&#8221;. The answer was cryptic.&#8221; Things will go on  whatever happens&#8221;. This set  the bells ringing in Nallavan&#8217;s brain. &#8220;Were they planning to  proceed with the plot hatched to assassinate Sumanthiran&#8221; he began worrying.<\/p>\n<p><b>Terrorism Investigation Department<\/b><\/p>\n<p>After a few days of agonizing,  Nallavan thought it was best to inform authorities of what he knew and his suspicions. He knew he was taking a huge risk but Nallavan thought it was his duty to do so. Nallavan approached a distant relative who was a Govt official and was acquainted with the Police. After listening to what Nallavan said  the Govt official relative  got perturbed and said we must tell the Police. So an appointment was secured with officers of the Terrorism Investigation Department(TID) in Vavuniya. Nallavan related all what had happened and also what he suspected was happening  to the officials.  This was on December 23rd 2016.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_51081\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-51081\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/MAS-12.24-600x381.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"381\" class=\"size-large wp-image-51081\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-51081\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cultural festival in Karaveddy, Dec 24, 2016<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The TID officials were initially doubtful about Nallavan&#8217;s bona fides but after prolonged interrogation felt he was telling the truth.  The TID headquarters in Colombo was alerted about the potential threat to Sumanthiran MP&#8217;s life. The President&#8217;s office was also informed. On December 24th  Sumanthiran  was on his way from Colombo to Jaffna to attend a cultural festival in Karaveddy  where he was the chief guest. Mr. Shantha Bandara of the Presidential secretariat telephoned Sumanthiran enroute to Jaffna and told him of a possible threat to his life and advised him to turn back. Sumanthiran however had  passed beyond Vavuniya at that time and decided to proceed as planned.<\/p>\n<p>Sumanthiran reached Jaffna and went to Karaveddy  for the festival. He learnt that security had been increased for the event and that  bomb squad officials had undertaken a thorough search of the stage and premises. Nothing further or untoward happened on that day. Sumanthiran returned to Colombo for Christmas and thereafter went to a South Asian country for a holiday with his family. The trip had been scheduled months before the security threat scare. The Jaffna district MP who is also the official spokesperson of both the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and its chief constituent the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) returned to Lanka with his family  in the first week of the new year.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile the TID advised &#8220;Nallavan&#8221; to keep quiet and go on with his day to day life as usual. The  anti-terrorism officials traced the whereabouts of the ex-LTTE members  who  interacted with Nallavan and quietly placed them under observation. The intelligence wings of both the Police and army have established and maintain a network of spies, informants and agents in the Northern and Eastern provinces. The movements of both  the ex-LTTE members implicated by Nallavan were  placed under scrutiny as &#8220;persons of interest&#8221;  and monitored inconspicuously.  The movements of  both on Jan 12th and Jan 13th gave grounds of suspicion. The TID decided to strike.<\/p>\n<p>A team comprising  three Policemen -two in Uniform, one in civils- went to a house on Wilson street in Thiruvaiyaaru, Kilinochchi on the night of Jan 14th\/ 15th 2017. The trio identified themselves as TID officers from Vavuniya and  took into custody 32 year old Murugiah Thavavaenthan a former LTTE member. Thavavaenthan who had surrendered to the Army at Oamanthai on May 18th 2009 had been detained at the Nelukkulam  camp for 10 months and released on March 7th 2010 after undergoing rehabilitation. He was taken to Vavuniya for further interrogation.<\/p>\n<p><b>Thiruvaiyaaru In Kilinochchi<\/b><\/p>\n<p>On  Jan 16th 2017,  a team of TID officials went to  a financial institution in Kilinochchi town and took into custody a 37 year old ex-LTTE member employed there.  The man was Karalasingham  Kulendran alias  &#8220;Master&#8221;. He was also a resident of  Thiruvaiyaaru in Kilinochchi. He too was taken to Vavuniya for further interrogation.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_51079\" style=\"width: 160px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-51079\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/KK-K-1-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-51079\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-51079\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Karalasingham Kulendran-File pic via Tamil media<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The interrogation of  32 year old  Murugaiah Thavavaenthan and 37 year old Karalasingham Kulendran by the TID yielded further results. Acting on information  procured through interrogation ,TID officials of the Police raided a house belonging to a relative of Kulendran alias Master in Ootrupulam, Kilinochchi and recovered two claymore mines one of which was particularly powerful.Police also arrested  two more ex-tigers in Trincomalee and Thaalayadi respectively   consequent to the interrogation of the two Thiruvaiaaru residents.<\/p>\n<p>Chandrasekaralingam Vasudevan alias Mathan was arrested at a house in Alles Gardens, Trincomalee. Two parcels of &#8220;Kerala&#8221; Ganja weighing two kilos each were also seized. Three other occupants in the house including a husband and wife couple were also arrested and charged for Narcotic offences. Vasudevan alias Mathan who was  also  a rehabilitated ex-tiger was  detained by the TID  and further interrogated.<\/p>\n<p>TID officers arrested a fourth person at  Maruthankerni on the eastern littoral of Jaffna peninsula. He was a rehabilitated former LTTE member now driving a trishaw The man whose name was Mariyanayagam Lewis Ajanthan was also known by the nom de plume Jana. His nom de guerre while in the LTTE was Kadalavan. Police also recovered  6 exploders and related equipment from Ajanthan&#8217;s residence. Interestingly enough about 8 to 10 Kilos of<br \/>\n&#8220;Kerala&#8221;Ganja were also recovered here.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_51115\" style=\"width: 160px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-51115\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/MT-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-51115\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-51115\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Murugaiah Thavavaenthan<\/p><\/div>\n<p>All four arrested persons were ex-LTTE members and linked to each other. Thavavaenthan and Kulendran being residents of Thiruvaiyaaru interacted with each other frequently. Vasudevan too  visited Kilinochchi regularly and  would stay for several weeks at a stretch. He had been in Kilinochchi during the &#8220;Thaipongal&#8221; festival in 2017  too. Apparently Vasudevan used to stay in the Ootrupulam house where the claymore mines were found. It appeared to investigators that the four arrested persons were involved in  distributing &#8220;Kerala&#8221; Ganja smuggled from India to the Thaalayadi coast and  then taken to Trincomalee . Vasu was the acknowledged leader of the quartet.<\/p>\n<p><b>Remanded To Fiscal Custody<\/b><\/p>\n<p>After obtaining full statements from  Vasudevan, Thavavaenthan, Kulendran and Ajanthan the TID produced the four on January 20th at the Kilinochchi courts before District Judge A. A. Anandarajan. In an unusual move the four were  not indicted  under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). Instead they were charged for being in possesson of explosives and narcotics. Also  there was no specific reference to  the assassination  attempt on Mr. Sumanthiran MP. Instead there was only a reference to a plot to attack a Political VIP. All four were remanded to fiscal custody and are currently being held at the Anuradhapura prisons.<\/p>\n<p>The reasons for the Police not charging the four under the PTA is unclear at the moment. Also puzzling is the vague description about a political VIP instead of an explicit reference to Mr. Sumanthiran. One reason may be due to a reluctance to charge anyone under the draconian PTA which is to be repealed and replaced soon. Another reason may be a design on the part of the TID to conduct a more comprehensive investigation into the matter  and  probe the overseas LTTE connection extensively.<\/p>\n<p>There could also be  another motive. The opposition led by ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa has been critical of the Sirisena-Wickremrsinghe Govt over a number of matters. Chief among these is the accusation that the Govt through various acts of omission and commission  has created an environment where  separatist-terrorist elements are on the rise and national security is at risk. The plot to assassinate Sumanthiran could therefore be utilised by  the opposition to  declare  that the LTTE has been revived and criticise the Govt  vehemently on that count. Whatever be the rationale behind the conduct of the Police in charging the suspects it would be useful to remember the proverbial saying about the futile exercise of trying to  hide  a whole pumpkin in a plate of rice.<\/p>\n<p>I was able to gather some details about the ongoing probe from security related sources. According to  information divulged by members of this &#8220;gang of four&#8221; there are three overseas tiger operatives  &#8220;handling&#8221; them  by sending them cash and issuing instructions. They were  known as &#8220;Vetri&#8221;, &#8220;Maaran&#8221; and &#8220;Amuthan&#8221;. All three are suspected of belonging to  the overseas LTTE faction headed by Norway based Perinbanayagam Sivaparan alias Nediyavan.  Maaran is based in France and  Vetri in Australia. Amuthan is reportedly in Malaysia. Sri Lankan sleuths suspect that Amuthan from Malaysia  may have left that country after the arrests were made in Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n<p>All four persons were interrogated separately. What they  disclosed to officials was  more or less similiar in content and detail. The information garnered revealed that a plot had been hatched to assassinate TNA parliamentarian and lawyer M. A. Sumanthiran. A  clear overseas LTTE connection was also established. What shocked investigating sleuths was the fact that the would be assassins may have succeeded in killing Sumanthiran but for  an accidental quirk of fate or an act of divine providence depending upon how one perceives these matters.<\/p>\n<p><b>&#8220;Vadamaratchy&#8221; Region Of Jaffna<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Sumanthiran in his capacity as a Jaffna district MP of the TNA looks after the electoral divisions of Uduppiddy and Point Pedro. Together these two areas comprise what is known as the &#8220;Vadamaratchy&#8221; region of Jaffna.<\/p>\n<p>The three divisional secretariats within these two electoral divisions are  Maruthankerni, Karaveddy and Point Pedro.  The Maruthankerni division consists  mainly of littoral villages of the Vadamaratchy east coast. It is relatively underdeveloped when compared to other  hinterland areas of the Jaffna peninsula. Therefore as an elected  Parliamentarian, Sumanthiran has been  devoting a considerable amount of time and effort  to cater to the needs of the people from this under developed area. As such he regularly  visits Maruthankerni  while in the North.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/ST-B402-1-600x349.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"349\" class=\"alignright size-large wp-image-51119\" \/><\/p>\n<p>via Google Maps: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/place\/Bank+of+Ceylon\/@9.6217277,80.3959856,3a,75y,31.45h,77.2t\/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sS_5qJW9WASojFzann8yc9g!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DS_5qJW9WASojFzann8yc9g%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D249.8414%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xe6c68438857c3e12!8m2!3d9.6218562!4d80.395849!6m1!1e1\"><em>Soranpattru- Thaalayadi (B 402)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Maruthankerni is 306 km from Colombo, 43 km from Jaffna town and 28 km from Point Pedro town. Maruthankerni can be accessed via two &#8220;B &#8216;class roads. One is the  28.96 Km long Point Pedro &#8211; Maruthankerni road known as B 371. The other is the 7.48 km long Soranpattru- Thaalayadi road known as B 402. <\/p>\n<p>The Soranpattru &#8211; Thaalayadi road branchess off to the east from the key Jaffna &#8211; Kandy road known as the A-9 highway at &#8220;Puthukaattu Chanthi&#8221; or Puthukaadu junction. This stretch of   road runs through coconut estates, shrub jungle, plains and a few paddy fields. The area  which includes the villages of Soranpatru and Maasaar is sparsely populated. The road proceeding to Thaalayadi on the east coast  from Puthukaadu junction reaches the Maruthankerni  junction at Thaalayady. Maruthankerni is adjacent to Thaalayadi. Many people  travelling to and from Maruthankerni from Jaffna  prefer to  use the  B 402 instead of the B 371.  Sumanthiran uses this road regularly to reach Maruthankerni.<\/p>\n<p>According to information provided by security related sources the ex-LTTE  gang of four had plotted to assassinate Sumanthiran while he was travelling along this Soranpatru-Thaalayadi road to Maruthankerni and back.  The straight road running through sparsely populated areas with dense foliage on either side was quite conducive to explode a landmine at an approaching vehicle.Two operations to explode  claymore mines and kill Sumanthiran had been planned. Both  the assault plans targeting Sumanthiran  were never put into action due to reasons beyond their control.<\/p>\n<p>In the first instance Sumanthiran was scheduled to be the chief guest at a cultural festival orgaized by the Vadamaratchy east divisional secretariat at Maruthankerni. The function was at 4 pm on December 12th 2016. <\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_51084\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-51084\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/MAS-MK-600x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" class=\"size-large wp-image-51084\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-51084\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">In Maruthankerni &#8211; Dec 12, 2016<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The would be assasins had been lying in wait along the Soranpatru  &#8211; Thaalayadi road. However Sumanthiran&#8217;s vehicle had not proceeded  on the road as planned. It was believed  that Sumanthiran  was not going to attend the event as scheduled. However the conspirators were surprised to hear later that Sumanthiran had arrived and participated in the event as planned.<\/p>\n<p><b>B 402 Soranpattru- Thaalayady Road<\/b><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_51112\" style=\"width: 246px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-51112\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/MAS-01.28.17.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"236\" height=\"940\" class=\"size-full wp-image-51112\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-51112\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">M.A. Sumanthiran MP<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The second instance was on January 13th 2017. There is a proposal to set up a  sea water de-salination plant on the Thaalayadi coast. This project has had a mixed reception with  some supporting and others opposing it. Besides there is much confusion about the details of the envisaged project. Hence a seminar cum  public meeting   was to be held on Jan 13th to clarify doubts. A number of knowledgeable experts were to address the gathering. Sumanthiran was to chair the meeting. Apparently the plotters  knowing Sumanthiran was expected had  been prepared to explode a claymore on the B 402  Soranpatru-Thaalayady road and assassinate the TNA parliamentarian. Again Sumanthiran did not come as anticipated. Apparently Sumanthiran had cancelled his trip to Jaffna.<\/p>\n<p>It was quite clear that   Sumanthiran could have been killed on either of these occasions if events had not taken a different turn. Neither  the TNA lawmaker nor the Law enforcement authorities had been aware of the nefarious plot targeting Sumanthiran. How then did Sumanthiran escape from an attack  that would have surely  caused a  loss of life or limb on the B402 Road on the fateful dates of Dec 12th 2016 and Jan 13th 2017?<\/p>\n<p>In a bid to find out more  I contacted Sumanthiran by telephone.The TNA parliamentarian confirmed that the  Police as well as upper echelons of the Govt had informed him of the assassination plot and the aborted attempts on his life. Sumanthiran however was reluctant to comment further  at this point of time  preferring to wait till more details of the plot were available. I then asked him about  how he had escaped the &#8220;death traps&#8221; of Dec 12th and Jan 13th and what had happened. This is what Sumanthiran said &#8211;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The vehicle I use whenever I travel to the North from Colombo was not available in December last year when I went to Jaffna. So I hired a vehicle for the purpose.On the morning of Dec 12th I participated at a seminar in Nallur about the proposed new Constitution that went on  till noon. TNA northern provincial councillor and fellow lawyer Kesavan  Sayanthan also  was present at the seminar. When it was over  he wanted to discuss some matters with me. Sayanthan said he too was going to Maruthankerni for the cultural event and that we too could travel together and discuss. So I decided to go along with Sayanthan in his vehicle. My vehicle and security detail followed behind. We went down the A- 9 road to Puthukaadu junction  and turned left on the  Thaalayady road  and reached Maruthankerni. We had a good discussion on the way and did not observe anything or anyone suspicious.Thereafter Sayanthan returned a little early from Maruthankerni but I stayed on. I then returned to Jaffna in my vehicle&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>I then asked Sumanthiran about the attempt on his life that had been planned on that day and how he had escaped. The TNA parliamentarian replied thus &#8221; I too am unable to say anything definite until full details of the plot are disclosed by the investigators. But from what I have been told so far it appears that they were waiting for  my usual vehicle to come along the road. So  when I went in Sayanthan&#8217;s vehicle they  would have been unprepared and must have  missed me.  I am unclear as to whether they were lying in wait for me when I returned to Jaffna along the same route. If they had been waiting there,  they may have been on the lookout for my regular vehicle which is well-known in the North. Since I was using a  different, hired vehicle they may have missed me again&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p><b>Alerted On Dec 24 About Security Threat<\/b><\/p>\n<p>I then asked Sumanthiran about the attack planned  for Jan 13rd and what had happened then. I specifically asked him whether he had cancelled the trip to the north because he had had prior warning about the threats to his life. Sumanthiran replied as follows &#8211; &#8221; No, no, I didn&#8217;t cancel the trip due to security threats. It is correct that I was alerted on Dec 24th last year by the Presidential secretariat about a security threat and advised to cancel the trip. But I was halfway through then and did not want to turn back.  I was away from the country during the last week of December and first week of January. Upon returning I began attending to my usual duties&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Speaking further Sumanthiran said &#8221; What had happened was that I had planned to be at the Sea water de-salination project seminar as scheduled on Jan 13th. My wife too was to accompany me on the trip to Jaffna. But suddenly on Jan 11th another issue turned up which compelled me to remain in Colombo. This was due to some legal issues that I was handling as a lawyer and had nothing to do with Politics or security matters. I was very keen to be present at the de-salination project meeting but could not do so as planned. So I had to inform the  officials on Jan 12th that I  would not be able to attend.  From what I heard so far they had been well prepared this time to target me but my cancelling the trip at the last minute seems to have thwarted their plans&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Observing that these accidental turns of events on two occasions seem to have saved his life, I asked the Jaffna district MP whether  adequate provisions for enhancing his security have ben made. Sumanthiran said that Law and Order Minister Sagala Ratnayake had communicated with him about it. The minister had told him that the issue had been discussed at the National Security Council meeting and that a sound security arrangement has been made. Sumanthiran said that the new enhanced security scheme was currently coming into force. For obvious reasons I did not ask him to elaborate further on the new security arrangements.<\/p>\n<p>Sumathiran also said that both President Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickremsinghe had been in touch with him and expressed concern. The Prime minister  had expressed tremendous relief that he had not been harmed in any way and also quipped&#8221;If  you had not cancelled your Jaffna trip on  Friday the 13th you wont be alive today&#8221;. The President who was also worried by the turn of events had talked to Sumanthiran in detail about his (Sirisenas) experiences  of being under threat. &#8220;Whatever happens you must keep on going to Jaffna and keep on doing your duties&#8221; President Sirisena had advised Sumanthiran.<\/p>\n<p><b>&#8220;I Will Continue To  Go To North As Before&#8221;<\/b><\/p>\n<p>At this juncture I queried from Sumanthiran whether he would be travelling to the north as he did earlier  in view of the perceived threat to his life. His reply was tersely to the point. Sumanthiran said &#8221; I will continue to go to the North as before and continue to directly engage with the people as I have been doing in the past&#8221;.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_51088\" style=\"width: 490px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-51088\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/MAS-M.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" class=\"size-full wp-image-51088\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-51088\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Community Centre launch event in Mulliyan-June 2016<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I  then asked the TNA parliamentarian about the arrested suspects being former LTTE members and of information available about overseas tiger involvement in the plot. I asked him whether this was another exercise in the series of attempts by the Diaspora tigers to revive the LTTE again in the Country. Sumanthiran was cautious in replying saying it was too premature to arrive at conclusions whether this was a case of the LTTE being revived or not. He went on to say &#8220;What seems to be clear now is that some misguided former LTTE cadres  living in the Island are being exploited   by certain overseas elements  through cash incentives to engage in acts of violence on Sri Lankan soil. We can&#8217;t be sure at this time whether this is an individual act targeting me or whether it is part of a more comprehensive  design to revive the  LTTE again. I am confident that the security agencies will probe this further and arrive at definite conclusions very soon&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>As Mr. Sumanthiran himself opines it is too early to speculate whether the targeting of the TNA parliamentarian is an isolated matter or part of another broader attempt to revive the LTTE again in Sri Lanka. There have been many such attempts before and have been delved into in great detail in these columns earlier. Also troubling is the fact that Sumanthiran has been intensively vilified and derogated by  pro- LTTE elements in Sri Lanka and abroad. Traitorization and character assassination has been the usual LTTE practice before and after killing a person. This modus operandi was  patently visible in the assassination of Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_32083\" style=\"width: 131px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-32083\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/jw071214.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"121\" height=\"182\" class=\"size-full wp-image-32083\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-32083\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dr. Jayampathy Wickramaratne<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Sumanthiran has been playing a very positive role in bridging the gulf between the ethnicities and striving to ensure the restoration of Tamil rights through democratic means. In recent times he has been making a constructive contribution to the Constitution making process in his capacity as  TNA member of the  Constitutional Assembly steering committee and also as co-chair along with Dr.Jayampathy Wickramaratne of the Management committee of the secretariat for the Constitutional Assembly. It is widely acknowledged that the enactment of a progressive Constitution would be a significant achievement that could usher in true justice, equality and ethnic reconciliation. This has resulted in hawkish elements on both sides of the ethnic divide being united in opposition to the envisaged Constitution for different reasons.<\/p>\n<p>It is an incontrovertible fact that  the LTTE elements overseas and pro-tiger elements within Sri Lanka  are extremely antagonistic towards Sumanthiran He has been attacked viciously by tiger and pro-tiger media organs. The Diaspora tigers spent huge sums of money to defeat Sumanthiran at the 2015 Elections. Sumanthiran won  handsomely but the people backed by the overseas tigers like Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam and Suresh Premachandran lost badly. Thereafter the tigers orchestrated a campaign to abuse and humiliate Sumanthiran publicly at different places in Jaffna and in  western countries like Australia, Britain and Switzerland. The idea was to pressurize Sumanthiran into quitting politics. This too has not  happened.<\/p>\n<p><b>Chance, Luck Or Divinely Ordained  Providence<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Against this backdrop there are sufficient grounds to suspect that the overseas LTTE has now changed its approach and opted to eliminate Sumanthiran through assassination. <\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_51094\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-51094\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/MAS-01.27.17-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" class=\"size-large wp-image-51094\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-51094\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">M.A Sumanthiran MP<\/p><\/div>\n<p>As investigations continue into the assassination attempt, there is every chance that  further information would be available to shed more light on this. As for now it is obvious that  the planned assassination attempts did not succeed or materialise through accidental turns of events attributable to  mere chance, sheer luck or divinely ordained providence.<\/p>\n<p>More importantly the role played by the ex &#8211; tiger who alerted the Police about the potential assassination  deserves very high praise. Actions of whistle blowers like &#8220;Nallavan&#8221; should be strongly commended. His real  name  or other related particulars cannot be disclosed due to security reasons. He is certainly a good person. This world is a good place only because of Good persons. That is why I have bestowed the name  &#8220;Nallavan&#8221;  to him in this article. For Nallavan in Tamil means &#8220;Good Man&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p><em>This article written for the &#8220;DBS Jeyaraj Column&#8221; appears in the &#8220;Daily Mirror&#8221; of January 28, 2017, it can be reached via this link:<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymirror.lk\/dbs-jeyaraj-column\">http:\/\/www.dailymirror.lk\/dbs-jeyaraj-column<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>DBS Jeyaraj can be reached at <a href=\"mailto:dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com\"><font color=\"\">dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com<\/font> <\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"tweetbutton51070\" class=\"tw_button\" style=\"float:right;margin-left:10px;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdbsjeyaraj.com%2Fdbsj%2F%3Fp%3D51070&amp;text=Overseas%20LTTE%20Backed%20Plot%20To%20Assassinate%20%20TNA%20MP%20Sumanthiran%20in%20Jaffna%20Revealed&amp;related=&amp;lang=en&amp;count=horizontal\" class=\"twitter-share-button\"  style=\"width:55px;height:22px;background:transparent url('https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-tweet-button\/tweetn.png') no-repeat  0 0;text-align:left;text-indent:-9999px;display:block;\">Tweet<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By D.B.S.Jeyaraj &#8220;Nallavan&#8221; (not his real name) is a Tamil youth living in a Northern village. He was a former member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) organization who had surrendered to the armed forces in May 2009. He was incarcerated for a period of time and released after undergoing a process of &#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=51070\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading &lsquo;Overseas LTTE Backed Plot To Assassinate  TNA MP Sumanthiran in Jaffna Revealed&rsquo; &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[27],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51070"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=51070"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51070\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51132,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51070\/revisions\/51132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=51070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=51070"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=51070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}