Detectives search Tamil MP’s house

By Chris Kamalendran

The official residence of a Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP has been searched by the Criminal Investigation Department following a tip-off that the residence was allegedly being used as an office to coordinate matters with the LTTE.

Parliamentarian N. Srikantha’s official Madiwela residence was searched on Tuesday while the MP was away in India. Dustan Samuel who was staying in the house and attending to clerical work of the of TNA General Secretary Mavai Senathiraja was questioned for more than three hours by CID officers.

The CID officer had questioned Mr. Samuel whether the house was being used to accommodate visitors from the north and east and whether it was being used as an office to coordinate matters between TNA MPs and the LTTE.

These charges were denied by Mr. Samuel who had said no outsiders came to stay at the residence situated in a high security zone and all visitors were screened by the Ministerial Security Division.

Detectives said the CID had obtained a court order and permission from the Speaker to search the residence after they received information that LTTE sympathizers visited the house and it was used as a coordinating office for them in Colombo. The CID officers visited the MP’s residence the following day also and took photocopies of the visitors book kept there.