LTTE 'pistol groups' targeting informants: report By V.S. Sambandan

COLOMBO MARCH 23. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam has reportedly sent two pistol groups here to kill Tamil informants and those in the island's military intelligence who were behind last year's killing of senior rebel leaders, a newspaper report said here today.

The issue of the Tigers' pistol groups, which finds mention at times in sections of the media, has resurfaced with last week's gunning down of a Tamil informant, Ragupathi, on the outskirts of the city — reportedly the fourth "informant'' who was killed by the LTTE's pistol group for his role in the Army's Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol which eliminated some LTTE leaders inside rebel-held territory before last year's ceasefire agreement.

Military analysts see the patrol, which reportedly eliminated some Tiger leaders, as among the factors that pushed the rebels towards cessation of hostilities.

"For more than 15 months now, Tiger cadre had launched a bitter campaign to eliminate the informants and punish civilians in the East who have been helping them'', a report in The Sunday Times said.

All four victims till now reportedly hailed from Batticaloa district, where the Army patrol is said to have been active.

The newspaper gave the name of the first of such victims as V. Vidyarthan, "who was abducted and killed'' last January in Batticaloa.

Last July, Lance-Corporal Savundarajan, ``was abducted and killed'', also in Batticaloa.

In December, another informant, Ganeshamoorthy Tillekerajah, was shot dead. Ragupathi, who was shot dead by "two men on a motorcycle'' on March 11 was the fourth victim, the newspaper said.

The Patrol had run into a controversial fiasco before the ceasefire was signed last February, when police raided one of their safe houses and the operation which was under wraps, came into the public.

A presidential inquiry commission is not probing the fiasco, the newspaper reported.

SLMM head meets LTTE commander


The new head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, Trygve Tellefsen, met the LTTE Trincomalee area commander, "Colonel'' Pathuman, and the Trincomalee district political head, Tilak on March 21, the Tamilnet web site reported.

Maj. Gen. Tellefsen, who has taken charge from Trond Furuhovde, discussed issues relating to movement of LTTE cadres in the eastern Trincomalee district, the report said.

The three eastern districts, which together have a near equal mix of the island's three main ethnicities is a volatile flashpoint and is considered by political analysts as the "weakest spot'' in the fragile peace process.


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