Chief Minister Pillayan losses his political brain

“LTTE never involved with the incident”

“Ragu has conflict with the Party's Media Spokesman”

(November 15, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Kumarasamy Nandagopan, alias Ragu, Private Secretary to the Eastern province Chief Minster and another person were shot dead in Athurugiriya at 11.30 p.m, party sources said.

According to very reliable sources within the TMVP, it has been revealed to the Sri Lanka Guardian that the killing were the result of fighting within the TMVP.

" We knew Ragu and the Media spokesman Azad Maulana were having serious problems over their power. We don't know if he was involved in the case but suspicions over that conflict links with the killing," one of senior members of the TMVP said over the phone.

"But the LTTE will never involved with the killing, " he added.

Ragu was an unsuccessful candidate at the Eastern Provincial council election. He was an Australian citizen. But many members of the TMVP have been suspicion Ragu had strong links with the LTTE.

Recently, many TMVP members lost in various camps in the East were killed by the LTTE cadres who have infiltrated the TMVP and have been posing as TMVP cadres.

The other person killed was identified as a TMVP supporter and driver. Police and eyewitnesses said that they were shot dead inside a Volvo car.

Ragu was the right hand man to the Eastern Province’s Chief Minister, Sivanesathurai Chanthirakanthan, alias Pillaiyan, and his death is a major blow to his Administrative. Much like how Prabhakaran faced a crisis of political stability after the death of Anton Balasingham, the onetime Chief Negotiator of the LTTE, Pillaiyan now faces similar challenges to his administration and carrier. He may be forced to turn to retired Colonel Karuna Amman, now MP Murali to restore some level of poetical stability to the Eastern Province, raising the suspicion that this assassination had the backing of Karuna and possibly other elements within the Sri Lankan government.

Infighting between the Karuna and Pillaiyan factions of the TMVP have crippled the party in recent times. This major blow to Pillaiyan’s faction gives Karuna a clear opportunity to assert his dominance over the party. With his calls for the government to disarm Pillaiyan’s supporters, Karuna may move soon to force Pillaiyan into a subordinate role, much as he was when he was a lower level cadre in the early TMVP. This may bring greater stability to the TMVP and the Eastern Province as a whole, but will also be a great personal success for Karuna’s political career.

In an interview with the BBC Tamil Service, Pillaiyan spoke with shock about the death of his associate, but he never actually blamed the LTTE or anyone else for his death. He did, however, indirectly say that the people responsible for the death of his secretary must have been opposed to his Eastern Administration. (11/14) - Sri Lanka Guardian