Three remaining Pachchilaippalli councillors resign

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 June 1999, 13:04 GMT]
The three remaining members of the Pachchilaippalli Pradeshiya Sabha (PS) in the Jaffna Peninsula, representing the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), resigned from their positions today.

Of the nine councillors of the Pachchilaipalli PS, five represented the PLOTE while the EPRLF and the EPDP had two councillors each.

Two PLOTE councillors and an EPRLF councillor had already resigned from their positions. One EPDP councillor was shot dead while the other had resigned.

With the resignations of the PLOTE members, the Pachchilaipalli PS is no longer functional, said sources.

Meanwhile PLOTE'S Jaffna organiser, Mr. Kirupairaja, has said that the Sri Lankan government was responsible for the killing of Jaffna councillors.

In a statement issued today the PLOTE organiser said that the elections were held despite strong representations made to the government that conditions were not conducive.

Mr. Kirupairaja further said that the PLOTE councillors in the other council bodies would also resign if the Government failed to take remedial action.

The Elections to the 17 local government bodies in Jaffna were held in January last year. The functioning of the councils was delayed as many of the councillors failed to take up their positions. The councils' functions were further disrupted by letters from the LTTE to the councillors asking them to resign or face the consequences.



The PLOTE resignations come a day after the Deputy Chairman of the Nallur PS, representing the EPDP, was shot dead, allegedly by the Liberation Tigers.

Meanwhile the Sri Lanka Army cordoned off and conducted a search operation in the Kodikamam and Puthur area from 3 p.m this afternoon.

All the males in the area were herded together and then interrogated. They were allowed to go home at 5.00 p.m.