SLMM acting head meets with paramilitary officials in East

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 May 2005, 15:45 GMT]
Mr. Hagrup Haukland, the acting head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) met on Friday with officials from the paramilitary EPDP, PLOTE and EPRLF (V) groups in the East. The meeting took place in SLMM District office located at Lake Road, Batticaloa between 13.10 PM and 14.10 PM.

Mr. R. Thurairatnam from Eelam Peoples Revolutionary Liberation Front EPRLF (V) Varathar Wing, Mr. S. Sivanantharaja alias Siva from Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), Mr. Subramaniam Baheerathan alias Rathan and Mr. Ramasamy Anthonipillai alias Conshan from Peoples Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eealm (PLOTE) participated in the meeting, sources said.

Discussion centered around the escalating killings in the East.

Around 350 persons including officials and cadres from the Liberation Tigers, informants and agents associated with the Sri Lankan Army and cadres belonging to various paramilitary groups have been killed since the signing of Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) in February 2002, sources added.

Most of the killings have taken place in Sri Lanka Army held areas in the NorthEast.

Liberation Tigers accuse Colombo of arming and deploying paramilitary groups to carry out attacks against them.