Pro-government militia seen bracing themselves

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 February 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Paramilitary organisations in Batticaloa such as the Peoples Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) and the Razeek Group which is affiliated to the Eelam Peoples' Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF), are strengthening the fortifications around their camps and exercising greater vigilance through more rigorous checking of civilians, in fear of an attack by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), said sources in Batticaloa.

The PLOTE is building bunkers around its camp near the Batticaloa hospital, while the Razeek group has established a checkpoint by its camp which is 500 yards from the PLOTE office.

These groups have established checkpoints in other parts of Batticaloa town and its suburbs as well.

Sources said that civilians were undergoing great difficulty due to the intensity of the searches being carried out at the checkpoints.

The Sri Lankan Army, with which these paramilitary group work in tandem, are reportedly turning a blind eye to these activities.

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