The Colombo Chief Magistrate today (14) allowed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to detain former Chief Minister of the Eastern Province Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan for questioning till November 04.
Pillyan was arrested when he arrived at the CID to give a statement in connection with the murder of former TNA MP Joseph Pararajasingham on October 11.
Pararajasingham, a senior minority Tamil politician and former Batticaloa district MP of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), was shot dead in December 2005 at St. Mary’s co-cathedral church in the Batticaloa town while attending Christmas prayers.
Pillayan was part of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pullikal (TMVP) at the time Pararajasingham was killed.
The TMVP had split from the Tamil Tigers and fought against the Tigers but an internal rift in the TMVP saw Pilayan and then TMVP leader Karuna Amman go their separate ways and in 2007 Pillayan was made leader of the TMVP.
The TMVP contested the Eastern Provincial Council elections in 2008 and won and Pillayan was made chief minister.
