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LTTE guns down 'dreaded' informant Plote Mohan
By Nalaka Nonis and Mahangu Weerasinghe

Acting Magistrate K. Kanapathipillai conducting an inquiry at the scene where ‘Plote Mohan’, was gunned down yesterday.
Pic by Dinuka Liyanawatta

The well-known Plote Mohan, a close associate of LTTE dissident Karuna and top informant for the Army, was shot dead in Colombo last afternoon allegedly by a pistol gang of the LTTE, Police said.

The victim, whose real name is Kandiah Yogarasa, was known to have been working with the Army in the Ampara district. He was later reported to have come to Colombo and was living in the Nugegoda area.

The killing took place around 11:25 a.m. at the Vajira Road-Duplication Road Junction, close to the popular House of Fashion clothing shop at Bambalapitiya. Plote Mohan was shot five times in his shoulder and neck and he died on the spot, police said.

The victim, who was clad casually in a blue t-shirt and beige trousers fell face down in a pool of blood while eight empty rounds were found in the vicinity. The driver of the three-wheeler in which Plote Mohan travelled said he had come shopping to the House of Fashion.

The driver said he waited at the vehicle park while Plote Mohan went upstairs but found the place closed because of the Poya holiday. Then he saw Plote Mohan coming down while talking on his mobile phone and he started the three-wheeler. Plote Mohan then motioned for him to wait a while, when he heard the shots.

During the split between the LTTE's Wanni faction and Karuna, Plote Mohan who is known to have been working with the Army since 1990, is reported to have visited Karuna at the rebel leader's Thoppigala base.

Information given by Plote Mohan is known to have helped the army to carry out a series of successful operations against the LTTE and he was a hunted figure with the pro-LTTE TamilNet yesterday describing him as the dreaded Plote Mohan. He was also a close associate of Major Nilam who was in charge of the safe-house at Athurugiriya.

The Colombo killing came a day after a person identified as an associate of Karuna was shot dead in the Welikanda area. Police said the dead man was identified as Sivanayakam Pushpakumar, 20, of Muththukkal, an ancient Tamil village in the district of Polonnaruwa. A placard found on the body of Pushmakumar accused him of being a traitor.

Over the past three weeks more than 25 persons have been killed in the intense rivalry between the LTTE and the Karuna faction.

Fact file
Name: Kandiah Yogarasa; Age 41
Place of birth: Kokkiapulai in Batticoloa
1985: Joined the PLOTE. In the same year underwent military training in India.
1986: On his return to Sri Lanka, he was appointed as the head of a PLOTE camp in Vavuniya.

1990: After the Indian Army (IPKF) left Sri Lanka, together with some PLOTE cadres, he helped the Sri Lanka Army’s intelligence unit to combat the LTTE
1995: When President Kumaratunga started peace talks with the LTTE, he together with his men came to Colombo for safety.
2004: April: After the rivalry between Prabhakaran and Karuna started, he paid several visits to Thoppigala to meet Karuna before the rebel leader fled the area.

Govt. condemns killing, vows action
The government yesterday condemning the killing of Plote Mohan as a brazen act that disturbs the peace process, vowed to take action to maintain law and order.

The Information Department in a statement said the government condemned the killing of Kandiah Yogarasah.

"In the name of humanity, we condemn armed groups killing their rivals," the statement quoted Public Security, Law and Order Minister and Deputy Minister of Defence Ratnasiri Wickremanayake as saying in a speech a day before this incident:

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