PLOTE offers to screen Tamils

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 March 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Deputy leader of the PLOTE, Manikkam Daasan said today in a statement that he had proposed to the government that it should permit his organisation to put into effect a system to ensure the safety of Tamils from the northern and eastern provinces of the island who have to come Colombo.

He had made the proposal at a meeting this week with the Secretary to Sri Lanka's ministry of Defence Mr. Chandrananda de Silva.

According to Manikkam Daasan, those people in the northeast, wishing to travel to Colombo could apply to the PLOTE offices in their area of residence. The organisation would then screen the aplicants and bring them to Colombo and could let them stay in lodging houses specially earmarked by the SL government without having to face the threat of arrest and detention.

He had informed the defence secretary that if the government is not prepared to accept the PLOTE proposal then it should ensure the safety of Tamils coming to Colombo by taking over and running the private lodging houses in the city where they stay.