5 May 2010 02:51 pm
The owner of the house in which LTTE leader Vellupillai Prabakaran was living in just before his death, has surfaced at a camp for the Internally Displaced People (IDP) located in Vavuniya and is claiming ownership for the house and property, military officials said.
Speaking to a group of journalists in Killinochchi today the military said that the owner of Prabakaran’s house located at Dharmapuram, Vishwamadu in Killinochchi claims that the house was taken away from him by force by the LTTE eight years ago.
The house is located on a one acre land in a once LTTE high security zone where the military had subsequently discovered an underground bunker as well as 60 LTTE camps surrounding the house as part of the security for the Tiger leader.
According to the Military, the LTTE leader’s personal security officer who is now under Military detention had confirmed that the man claiming ownership for Prabakaran’s house is the previous owner but disputed claims that it was taken by force.
The security officer has insisted that the LTTE leader had paid cash for the house to the owner at the time it was taken and not by force. AS a result of the contradictory claims and was it is an offence to sell property to a terrorist outfit the army says it has decided to continue occupying the house.
However the military added that the surrounding camps which were once civilian homes will be returned to the rightful owners. (Daily Mirror online)
Prabakaran's former home.........Pic by Pradeep K. Pathirana
Pic by Pradeep K. Pathirana