Wednesday, October 27, 2004

Tiger teams from East and West

Two Tiger guerrilla delegations will arrive in Colombo today, one from the West and the other from the East, returning to Kilinochchi at the end of their missions.

The one from the West is a delegation led by LTTE Political Wing leader S.P. Tamilselvan who undertook a month-long tour of European and Nordic countries. This included meetings with Norwegian peace facilitators in Oslo. Their last stop was Germany.

Arriving from the East is Thillayampalam Sivanesan alias Soosai, head of the LTTE's sea going arm, the Sea Tigers. Together with a doctor working with the LTTE and two bodyguards, Soosai flew to Singapore with the help of the Government, to seek urgent medical treatment.

This was for a shrapnel injury in the back of his shoulder, near the neck, he sustained during an ambush by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in the Wanni in 1989. The shrapnel had shifted position causing him pain and discomfort.

Although Soosai was expected to undergo surgery, doctors in Singapore had advised it was not necessary. Hence, he had been checked into a hotel where physiotherapy had been administered to shift the shrapnel. With the process now over, he and his team will arrive in Colombo today.