The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission yesterday urged the LTTE to re-examine its position on the release of the two homeguards and asked the political forces in Trincomalee to desist from hampering monitoring activities.
After a meeting with Defence Secretary Cyril Herath, SLMM Chief Trond Furuhovde said acts of detaining persons to put pressure for the release of others were not acceptable.
He said the SLMM saw no logic in linking the release of the two homeguards with the release of ten LTTE cadres who had been arrested by the police a year ago.
"The LTTE cadres were duly processed through the judicial system in accordance with national law," the SLMM said.
Mr. Furuhovde said evidence indicated that the two homeguards were apprehended while they were carrying fire arms in an LTTE-controlled area. Yet the SLMM had taken up the matter with LTTE political wing leader S. P. Thamilselvan and also held a series of negotiations with local LTTE leaders in Trincomalee to obtain the release of the homeguards.
Mr. Furuhovde said an organization in Trincomalee in a bid to increase its public profile was taking ownership of this issue while trying to discredit the SLMM.
He said such activities had hampered SLMM's ceasefire monitoring work in Trincomalee district.
Meanwhile, Public Security Ministry Secretary Tilak Ranaviraja told the Daily Mirror last night a meeting presided by President Chandrika Kumaratunga was held to discuss the homeguards matter.
He said the government was hopeful of a positive response from the LTTE from the SLMM's request.
