TMVP HAND IN DOCTOR DEATHS

By Gayan Kumara Weerasingha

Police investigations have revealed that the killing of Dr. S.W. Palitha Padmakumara, who was serving at the Nawakkadu government hospital in Vavunathivu, Batticaloa, had been carried out on the orders of “Varnan” who is a TMVP area leader.
Varnan is the TMVP leader in charge of the party’s office in Manikkadu, Vavunathivu, sources said.
This high ranking officer revealed that currently, the Pillayan faction has 21 offices in the East, while the Karuna faction had 27 .
A six member gang led by “Varnan” had stormed the hospital premises on the 16th and four of them have been identified as TMVP members who were with “Varnan” at the party office.
“Varnan” and the four TMVP members had shot dead two other TMVP members inside the office during the night of the 10th and escaped with the T 56 and RPG weapons which were inside the office. This office had formerly belonged to the Pillayan faction.
It was afterwards that they stormed the Nawakkadu government hospital and killed the doctor on the 16th. Witnesses who saw the attackers had told police that all the killers were armed with T 56 and RPG weapons. Police sources reveal that the lives of Sinhalese serving in Batticaloa were under serious threat now. These threats are from unidentified armed groups. These groups earlier shot dead three Sinhala youth who were serving at a road development project in Batticaloa on 21st October. The next day, they launched a hand grenade attack on a group of Sinhalese workers from the Water Supply and Drainage Board in Vavunathivu. Five workers were injured in this attack.
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa held extensive discussions with the GMOA on the 18th regarding the security of doctors. Accordingly, special security arrangements have been made for doctors serving in the northern and eastern provinces. An SSP has been appointed to co-ordinate these security arrangements.