Front Page

Front Page

Anti-Tiger parties seek more security
Tamil parties have requested for additional security from the President and the government following a series of LTTE attacks and threats on their party members, and damage to offices in the past few weeks.

Attacks on the EPDP, the PLOTE and the EPRLF by the LTTE have raised security concerns among these parties prompting them to call for additional security for several members and their party offices.The EPDP which lost several of its cadres during the past few weeks requested President Chandrika Kumaratunga to provide protection.

EPDP spokesman S Thavaraja told The Sunday Times that "We are yet to get the security but we have been assured that adequate protection will be provided .We are given security personnel but we want the number increased. The delay may be due to logistical problems, but we will be given the security by next week," he said.

The EPDP has asked for security for its offices and for prominent members of the party. EPDP members have been abducted, threatened and killed. Early this week, a pistol group of the LTTE surrounded P Pradeepan, the Batticaloa District Organiser of the EPDP in the Batticaloa Town, but the Police who were assigned for Mr. Pradeepan's security intervened and took him away to safety.

Official complaints have been made to the SLMM. The EPRLF has also asked for additional security following the killing of several of its members. In Sinna Uppodai, Batticaloa, Arumugam Packiarajah alias Vino, a former member of the EPRLF, who had severed all connections with the EPRLF some three years ago, and who was leading a life of a family man was chopped to death by the LTTE. His decapitated body was found on the roadside.

Similarly a TELO member was shot dead last Tuesday at 8.30 am, in Katkuli in Vavuniya. Some PLOTE members who were relaxing after some sports activity were also attacked by the LTTE with a grenade. Six PLOTE members were injured, two of them seriously.

Back to Front Page