Tigers release four Sinhala farmers

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 March 2001, 12:38 GMT]
Four Sinhala farmers from Padaviya, a region lying close to the Mullaithivu district, were released by the Liberation Tigers in the Vanni Thursday, Harasha Gunawardena, press officer of the International Committee of the Red Cross, told Tamilnet. He said they would be handed over to their families in Padaviya tomorrow. Meanwhile, the chief incumbent of the Buddhist temple in Vavuniya Ven. Siyambalagaswewa Wimalasara Thero told Tamilnet that the release comes in the wake of a promise made to him by the Liberation Tigers when he met them in the Vanni on 19 February as a member of an inter-religious delegation.

He said that he had requested the Tigers to release two fishermen from Maamaduwa who were in their custody during their meeting with the inter-religious delegation. The Tigers, however, had assured him that they would release not only the Maamaduwa fishermen but also a few others who were in their custody as a good will measure. The Tigers released the two fishermen to the ICRC on 2 March.

Mr.Harasha Gunawardena said that the four farmers would be handed over to their families tomorrow, 17 March.

LTTE units on missions in border regions took away some Sinhalese who had stumbled onto them (the Tigers) to prevent information about their movements in the area falling into the hands of the Sri Lanka army, said a Police source in Vavuniya, explaining the presence some Sinhala farmers and inland fishermen in the LTTE's custody.