Funeral arrangements for PLOTE leaders finalised

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 September 1999, 15:43 GMT]
The funeral of PLOTE leaders Ilango and Vino who were killed in a claymore blast on Thursday will take place tomorrow, Sunday September 5, said PLOTE sources. The funeral of Manikkadasan (Nagalingam Manikkam Rajan) will take place on Monday the sources added.

Sources said that Manikkadasan’s body will be taken to Vavuniya Bus Terminal from his house in Rambaikulam around 10 a.m. for the public to pay their last respects.

Later the body will be taken to Kovilkulam Uma Maheswaran Cemetery where a public meeting will be held. Senior members and leaders of PLOTE will attend the meeting, the sources added.

PLOTE sources said that they suspect the LTTE was responsible for the blast that killed the three leaders and that they would conduct their own investigations after the funerals on Sunday and Monday.

Meanwhile three youths have been kidnapped in the Vavuniya area over the past two days by two unidentified men who drove a white van with tinted windows.

Residents suspect that the youths were kidnapped by PLOTE cadres in connection with the Vavuniya blast.