Government Spokesperson and Minister Nalinda Jayatissa stated that the statue of Rasiah Parthipan known as Thileepan which had been placed at the Thileepan memorial premises in Nallur, Jaffna, was removed only after the relevant court had been apprised of the matter.
Speaking during an interview with electronic media, he noted that the police had reported the facts to the court and that legal proceedings regarding the statue are currently being heard.
The Minister further remarked that while only photographs of Thileepan had been used for the commemoration ceremonies held in September in previous years, this was the first time the commemoration had been conducted with a statue installed at the site. He further explained that the LTTE is a proscribed organization; under the law of the land, there is no room for promoting such an organization including the display of its flags or emblems and legal action is taken against such activities. He noted that the police had reported the facts to the court prior to removing the statue, and that the relevant case is currently being heard by the court.
Minister Nalinda Jayatissa stated that while various parties attempt to incite ethnic tensions within the country from time to time, the government will not tolerate such actions under any circumstances.
The police removed the statue on Sunday, the 27th one day after the conclusion of Thileepan’s 39th commemoration ceremony.