Brig. Nanayakkara says LTTE are "very active" in Mulativu

Chairman of the North East Secretariat on Human Rights (NESoHR), Rev. MX Karunaratnam, was killed in a claymore attack in the LTTE-held Mulativu on Sunday.

The Tamil Tigers have accused the Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) of Sri Lanka Army of launching the claymore mine attack.

In an email sent to media, LTTE military spokesman Rasaiyah Ilantherian said the DPU has "targeted" the priest while returning home from Sunday Service at Mankulam.

LTTE statement

"He always spoke for the rights of the people of NorthEast," the LTTE statement added.

Sri Lanka military spokesman, Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told BBC Sandeshaya that the military played no role whatsoever as the attack has happened in the rebel-held territory.

He was targeted by the DPU while he was returning to his residence after attending to mass at Mankulam parish around 1230 hrs LTTE statement

It is usual for the LTTE, Brig. Nanayakkara said, to point the finger at the military every time an attack happened in the rebel-held area.

The Tamil Tigers who are ‘very active’ in Mulativu area should take the responsibility of the killing, he added.

Rev. Karunaratnam was the only voice to report human rights violations in the LTTE-held territory, pro-rebel Tamilnet said.