8/24/2007

The Trincomalee Harbour Police conducting investigations into an arrested person on suspicion have identified the suspect to be the LTTE's former "Police Chief" in Sampur. The suspect identified as Kalimutthu Vinodkumar aged 29 years was arrested by the Harbour Police at a roadblock in Trincomalee yesterday (August 23) .

On initial inquiries the suspect had said he was employed under an area dealer for a well known mobile phone company in Sri Lanka.

Vinodkumar has revealed he was recruited to the terrorist outfit as a child soldier, direct from the school. The LTTE recruiters had brain-washed many children like him by showing video footages of terrorist activities at the school and forced them to join the outfit.

Police said the suspect had followed a six-month basic weapons and field-craft training, and later was absorbed to the LTTE's puppet police wing and stationed in the Sampur area as the LTTE "police chief" in the area.. However, the suspect told police he was able to escape from the terrorist outfit after the security forces liberated the Sampur area last year.

It has also been found that the suspect had received a three-month training on police duties in Northern Ireland in year 2003, when the UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe was Prime Minister. After returning to the country he had undertaken training programmes for Tamil youth conscripted to the LTTE's "Police" wing in the Kilinochchi and Mulaithivu areas. The suspect has been known among the LTTE cadres as "Sanjeewan Master", police sources said.

Police investigations are being continued.