Police search PLOTE, TELO camps

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 March 1999, 16:50 GMT]
The offices and camps of the PLOTE and the TELO were searched by the Sri Lankan Police yesterday and this morning. Police sources in Vavuniya said that the search was conducted following complaints by international human rights organisations that the paramilitary groups had arrested, detained and tortured civilians.

But nothing untoward was found in the camps and offices of these groups which were searched since yesterday said a Police officer in the northern border town this afternoon.

Meanwhile a PLOTE spokesman said that they welcomed the search because it will clear his organisation of the allegations made recently by Amnesty International.

The TELO was not available for comment this evening.

A human rights worker in the north, however, commented that the paramilitary groups already knew that the Police was going to search their camps.

He added that some of the illegal detention centres run by the PLOTE were not visited by the Police during the search.

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