More Tigers begin political work

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 May 2002, 16:03 GMT]
Scores of cadres from the Liberation Tigers’ political section arrived in Jaffna and Vavuniya earlier this week, Tamil press reports said. Forty-nine LTTE cadres arrived in Jaffna this week whilst twelve entered Vavuniya. More LTTE volunteers are expected to arrive in Vavuniya and Mannar soon.

The head of the LTTE’s political section for Vavuniya, Mr Melavan, said Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Captain Illanga Rajapaksha, the Officer in Charge of the Omanthai check point made arrangement for their smooth crossing.

However, there were difficulties in Jaffna where the LTTE cadres crossed into SLA-controlled territory at the Muhamalai crossing point. Proceedings were disrupted when soldiers refused to let them pass with the communication sets. The matter was resolved when the LTTE members agreed to leave their radios behind.

They join several cadres who began duties in the government controlled region earlier. 18 members entered Jaffna in the first phase, followed by another 28 in the second.

The first group formed part of the fifty LTTE cadres permitted under the terms of the permanent ceasefire to enter government-held regions 30 days after the truce began on February 23. The second group formed part of the additional 100 permitted to enter 30 days after that. Now, over 90 days after the truce began there is officially no restriction on the number of political cadres permitted to enter SLA-held territory.