The top Tiger commander, in charge of the Ampara-Batticaloa region, avoided yesterday’s meeting with the army to discuss ways and means of curbing the ongoing wave of violence involving the warring LTTE factions.
Thambirajah Ramesh’s successor Bhanu and Ramanan of the group’s military wing skipped yesterday’s meeting chaired by Maj.Gen.(Retd) Trond Furuhovde, head of the Norwegian-led Scandinavian truce monitoring mission’s chief.
The security forces delegation had emphasized that there was no point in having meetings with the political wing. "We don’t mind meeting them but the military wing leaders must come. Otherwise there is no point in meeting their political wing leader Kousalyan."
Maj.Gen. Furuhovde has assured that he would take up this with the LTTE leadership in Kilinochchi.
The meeting is the first since the LTTE suspended regular security talks with the army (in Batticaloa) over what the group said was a clandestine effort to weaken the group in the Ampara-Batticaloa region by taking advantage of the unprecedented crisis triggered by Karuna’s revolt.
During yesterday’s meeting, the army challenged the LTTE to justify its claims that the troops were secretly assisting the dissidents.
E. Kousalyan, head of the Tigers’ political division for Batticaloa-Ampara led the LTTE delegation. The security forces delegation was led by Brig. Vajira Wijegunawardena, General Officer Commanding (GOC), army’s 23 Division, with its headquarter at Welikanda.
The meeting took place at the Vavunathivu Divisional Secretary’s office, about 5 kilometres southwest of Error! Bookmark not defined. town, in the no man’s land between areas controlled by the LTTE and the forces.
S Marshall, head of the LTTE headquarters branch for Batticaloa-Ampara, Kuyilinpan, head of LTTE political division for Amparai and Dayamohan, head of LTTE’s administrative service in Batticaloa Ampara accompanied Kousalyan, the sources said.
Commander of 23-3 Brigade in Batticaloa town, Col. Laksiri Amaratunga and Special Task Force commander for Batticaloa-Ampara SSP Vasantha Ratnayaka also participated.
