Top LTTE official escapes ambush

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 February 2001, 19:21 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army commandos Monday ambushed senior LTTE officials as they were leaving after meeting an inter-religious peace group at Madhu in the Vanni, sources said. The LTTE officials' vehicle was caught in a claymore blast which badly damaged it, but the occupants escaped unhurt, the sources said.

Sources said that the head of the LTTE's political wing, Thamilchelvan, was scheduled to attend the meeting, but had been unavoidably detained. Mr. Thamilchelvan had sent other senior officials in his place, they said.

The 60-member inter-religious delegation comprising 36 Buddhist monks, two Bishops and several catholic and Muslim priests visited Madhu in the LTTE held Vanni Monday.

Commenting on the SLA ambush, the Voice of Tigers (VoT) radio said the attack on the LTTE delegates leaving a meeting to further peace efforts clearly demonstrated which protagonist was acting against peace.

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