Sri Lanka appoints five police teams to investigate politician slaying

The Sri Lankan police have appointed five separate teams to investigate the slaying of a leading Tamil politician in the capital, senior police officials said Saturday.

Nadarajah Raviraj, a leading member of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), was assassinated when unknown gunmen opened fire at his limousine Friday morning in downtown Colombo within close proximity to his residence.

Asoka Wijetilleke, the director of the police Crime Investigation Department (CID), said that five police teams have been deployed on the investigation.

"A preliminary report is to be handed over to the president today (Saturday)," Wijetilleke said.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa condemned the assassination, saying the late member of parliament was a friend of him.

He ordered the police to obtain the assistance of the British police's Scotland Yard to further the investigation.

Raviraj was an outspoken parliamentarian who stood for the minority Tamil rights representing the northern Jaffna district in the national parliament.

The police investigators said the assassin's weapon used to fire at the parliamentarian and his body guard who also died was found inside the bag left behind near the site. A large number of used ammunition were also found.

Eye witnesses said that the assassin had arrived on a motor cycle and fled the scene quickly.

The TNA, the party Raviraj represented, is a proxy of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels who are fighting for an independent homeland for the minority Tamils in the north and east.

Raviraj, 44 at the time of his death, was seen as a moderate in the TNA who advocated a negotiated settlement to the separatist armed conflict.

Source: Xinhua