SLA deserters abscond again

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Two soldiers from a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp in Vavuniya who hijacked a three wheeler taxi on April 22 at Pattaanichoodu, 10 km west of Vavuniya, were arrested by the Neeriyakulam police at Neeriyakulam on the Chettikulam- Madwachchi road, while trying to escape, said sources in Vavuniya.

The two soldiers, about whom no other details are yet available, had admitted under police interrogation of having hijacked a three wheeler last year also.

The two SLA personnel who had been going on leave and dressed in civilian clothing, had hired the vehicle at Pattaanichoodu, overpowered the driver, tied him up and dumped him nearby before proceeding towards Madwachchi.

However, at Neeriyakulam they had been detained at a police checkpoint on suspicion.

In the meantime, the driver who managed to untie himself, had gone to the office of the People's Liberation Organisation Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) and gone to the Neeriyakulam police station with a PLOTE cadre.

The SLA personnel revealed under interrogation that on September 15 1997, they hijacked another three wheeler and sold it at Maligawatte in Colombo for 40,000 rupees.

They had then deserted the SLA and lived on the money. Taking advantage of the amnesty granted to deserters recently, they had rejoined the SLA.

Investigations are continuing into the incident, said sources.