Media Minister tells Parliament CID Investigations revealed:

Tiran Alles, Emil Kanthan planned to provide Volvo, Benz vehicles to LTTE

COLOMBO: CID investigations have revealed that Tiran Alles along with Emil Kanthan had taken steps to provide the LTTE with Volvo and Benz vehicles through the TNG Company, Media and Information Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa told Parliament on Wednesday.

The Media Minister making a special statement on the arrest of Tiran Alles said a Private Sector Bank had Rs. 220 million as leasing facilities to obtain these vehicles.

A Parliamentarian had stood as surety for this transaction and he would not divulge his name at this moment, the Media Minister said.

Out of this payment a sum of Rs. 90 million is still owed to the Bank and the Bank had written it off as bad debts.

The Media Minister said investigations further revealed that Tiran Alles had bought a house in Colombo in the name of the mother of Emil Kanthan whom he used to provide facilities to the LTTE.

Tiran Alles had been arrested for genuine reasons and not on any political grounds. He was arrested according to findings made by police and CID investigations.

The media Minister referring to Human Rights and abduction allegations made by the UNP said they should act with a backbone and lodge complaints to the relevant authorities if they had names of persons responsible for such violations and abductions.

Referring to the killing of the two Red Cross workers the Minister said the Government had no need to deprive a person with his or her life.

Whatever allegations are made by the UNP the Government is committed to safeguard human rights to the maximum.