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Ministry rejects LTTE's flight request
The Ministry of Defence has turned down a request by Tiger guerrillas for a helicopter flight for their military wing leader Soosaipillai Anthonydas alias "Col. Sornam" and four others to return to Trincomalee from Kilinochchi.

The five-member LTTE team, including the district's intelligence wing leader, were airlifted by a Sri Lanka Air Force helicopter on May 2 to Kilinochchi. Ministry officials say the prevailing tense situation in the Trincomalee district was the immediate cause for their refusal.

Another request that has been rejected is one to escort a group from Omanthai in the Wanni to the Black Bridge area in Batticaloa and back. The request had been made through the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission.

The ministry has also not yet taken a decision on another request for the LTTE military wing leader Banu and five others to be airlifted from Kilinochchi to Karadiyanaru in Batticaloa. This airlift had been requested for June 2, Ministry officials said. However, the ministry has given clearance for security forces to escort two guerrilla cadres Sellathurai Santhiyamohan alias Nimalan and Sathiyasekeran Thayaparan alias Pulicholan who returned to Colombo from a European capital. They are to be escorted from Colombo to the Army checkpoint at Omanthai.

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