Vavuniya not safe for doing political work, says LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 July 2005, 11:20 GMT]
Vavuniya district Head of LTTE Political Wing, Mr Gnanam, in a meeting held at the District Secretariat Friday 3 p.m., protested to the members of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that harrassment by the Sri Lanka Security forces on LTTE cadres engaged in political work has increased and requested the SLMM to take steps to ensure LTTE cadres' safety, sources said.

"Recent grenade attack at the Vavuniya LTTE offices, increasing incidents of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) threatening behavior towards LTTE cadres including a shooting incidents and the escalating violence in the Trincomalee district are forcing us to take precautionary measures. The situation is rapidly deteriorating and if this continues we will soon not be able do any political work," Gnanam told the SLMM, sources said.

Further, increase in incidents of random searches of the public by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and the additional deployment of SLA soldiers in the town and surrounding areas have increased tension in the district, Mr Gnanam told the members of the SLMM.