PLOTE denies involvement in Colombo killings

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 May 1999, 18:45 GMT]
The central committee of the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) has denied the allegations that the group was behind the killing of the senior TELO cadres in Colombo yesterday.

"There is no truth in the TELO's allegations" said a member of the PLOTE's central committee.

He said either the Liberation Tigers or some other group had carried out the killings. The recent clashes between the TELO and the PLOTE have no relevance to the Colombo incident, he said further.

Mr. A.Adaikalanathan, TELO's Vavuniya MP, has blamed the PLOTE for the killings.

The TELO's Jaffna organiser, Mr. K.Vinthan, said at a press conference this morning that he has requested permission for the group's members to carry weapons for self-defence, from the group's central committee.

He urged the Sri Lankan Government to take action to stop these killings.

Meanwhile the Sri Lanka Army arrested yesterday two youths at Thirunelveli market in the Jaffna peninsula. One of the arrested is a trader, Ramanathan Inthiran (30).

The other arrested person had gone to the market to buy vegetables. His name is not known, residents of the area said.