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Trinco killing: Eye witnesses questioned
By Asif Fuard
The CID conducting the investigation into the killing of the Trincomalee District Tamil Peoples Forum president V. Vigneswaran has begun to record statements of eyewitnesses and bank personnel at the scene.

The investigation was handed over to the CID last Friday evening on the direction of IGP Chandra Fernando. The IGP had visited the scene acting on the orders of President Mahinda Rajapaksa who wanted the investigation expedited.

The CID recorded statements of the security personnel in the bank where Mr. Vigneswaran was shot. The police had also located the three-wheeler driver who was at the scene and who is the main eyewitness.

The three-wheeler driver had told the police that there were two assailants on a motor cycle. They were wearing white shirts and after shooting Mr. Vigneswaran at point blank range they had made an easy getaway through one of the cross roads.

The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission Trincomalee District head Ove Janssen has filed a report to the SLMM headquarters with photographs of the body and statements of those who were at the scene.

Mr. Vigneswaran had previously lodged complaints with the SLMM on threats to his life. He had recently met the SLMM head over various matters, the most significant of which was the matter of the removal of the Buddha statue in the heart of the town. Mr. Vigneswaran who was a prominent Tamil activist had organised several agitation campaigns against the JVP front organisation the Sinhalese Movement of the North and East.

On Friday evening two LTTE front organisations had been distributing leaflets in the Trincomalee town ordering shops to close down as the LTTE had declared a week of mourning. But by yesterday evening some shops had opened for business and the police reported there had not been any trouble.
There had been a certain amount of controversy arising over the timing of the protest staged in Parliament by TNA MPs over the killing of Mr. Vigneswaran and whether the MPs had time to make the protest material.

Barely half an hour after the news broke of Mr. Vigneswaran being shot dead in Trincomalee, the TNA MPs stormed the Well of the House with black flags that had a drawing of a skull, surrounded the Speaker and while banging violently on the Speaker’s table demanded justice from the Government.
Mr. Vigneswaran had previously contested the general election from Trincomalee but lost. The Sunday Times learns that Mr. Vigneswaran’s appointment to the National List had been opposed by TNA leader R. Sambandan but he was reportedly compelled to comply due to the LTTE wanting him appointed.

Mr. Vigneswaran’s body was due to be taken to the LTTE controlled Sampur area in Trincomalee. However the plans were changed due to the Karuna faction launching an attack at a LTTE base in Mutur. The funeral is due to take place at the Trincomalee Hindu burial grounds tomorrow.

In the meantime the Government condemned the killing and had stated that it was deeply concerned about the politically motivated killing at a time when the Geneva talks were to begin in a few days.

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