Toronto man held in Sri Lanka after electronics, chemicals seized
Stewart Bell , Canwest News Service
Published: Friday, June 13, 2008
TORONTO - A Toronto man has been arrested in Sri Lanka after police
seized an array of electronics, including heat-seeking devices, that
were shipped from Canada.

Kajan Irampamoorthy, 20, is being held in the Sri Lankan capital of
Colombo and questioned about whether the materials were destined for
the Tamil Tigers guerrillas.

Irampamoorthy, a permanent resident of Canada, was taken into custody
more than two weeks ago, according to government officials.

Font:****The seized materials allegedly include an AimShot HeatSeeker
3500b, which uses thermal sensors to locate targets by detecting their
movements and body heat.

Police also seized PDAs, CDs, and five bags of chemicals similar to
aircraft grease. The items had apparently been shipped by courier from
an address in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, Ont.

Investigators in Canada and Sri Lanka are now trying to figure out
what Irampamoorthy was doing in Colombo and why he was in possession
of the electronics and chemicals.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said it had no information on the
matter.

Irampamoorthy was travelling on a Sri Lankan passport at the time of
his arrest. There was no answer Thursday at his last known residence
in the Toronto suburb of Markham. His cellphone number and e-mail
address also went unanswered.

A spokesman for the Canadian Tamil Congress said members of Sri
Lanka's ethic Tamil minority are frequently arrested without cause in
Colombo.

"They are arresting people left, right and centre lately," said David
Poopalapillai. "Arresting Tamils, it's a daily occurrence and
sometimes they twist the story."

Sri Lanka is engulfed in a civil war between Tamil Tigers guerrillas
seeking an independent homeland for the country's Tamil minority and
government forces trying to keep the country united.

Toronto is home to one of the world's largest populations of ethnic
Tamils. Many are sympathetic to the guerrillas, considering them
freedom fighters defending Tamils from decades of government abuses.

The Tigers, however, are a listed terrorist organization under
Canadian law because of their tactics, which have included hundreds of
suicide bombings and the assassinations of such political figures as
former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Meanwhile, a Toronto woman said on Thursday her 71-year-old father had
also been taken into custody in Colombo and that the family had so far
been unable to determine his fate.

Christista Fernando said she suspects police arrested her father,
Patrick Fernandes, on Monday in an attempt to secure a bribe for his
release.

She said she is worried because he has a heart condition.

"I don't know what happened to him," she said. "He's a lovable person,
he's a very nice man."