Weapons recovered from paramilitary groups

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 May 1999, 20:06 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Army has today recovered weapons from the paramilitary groups The People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) and the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) in Vavuniya, sources said.

PLOTE camps in Rambaikulam, Kovilkulam and Vairavapuliyankulam and TELO camps in Vairavapuliyankulam, Thonikkal and Koomankulam were searched by SLA soldiers around 2 p.m. today and the weapons recovered.

Sources said that the recovery of arms was smooth and cordial and that paramilitary leaders were away from Vavuniya at the time of arms recovery.

TELO leaders were away in Colombo engaged in activities to bring the dead bodies of their two members, who were shot dead in Colombo on Saturday evening, back to Vavuniya.

Mr. Manickadasan the military leader of PLOTE was also away from Vavuniya today.

Sources said that 13 guns from PLOTE and 12 guns from TELO were recovered by the SLA. However this has not been officially confirmed.

The two paramilitary groups have been involved in clashes over the right to levy "tax" in Vavuniya that has resulted in the killing of paramilitary members and their associates.

Meanwhile, one of the four killed on Saturday night in the Vavuniya area was identified as Paaliah Vijendran (19), of Maharambaikulam.

He was identified by his father who said at the inquest held at the Vavuniya hospital yesterday that he was a member of PLOTE. The inquest was held by the Acting Magistrate of Vavuniya, S.Ramanathan, who returned a verdict of homicide.

Vavuniya hospital sources said that three other bodies are kept at the mortuary for relatives to identify. "Nobody has turned up to identify these bodies. May be the parents or relatives of these youngsters are afraid of the rival paramilitary group," Police said.

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