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| Sunday, 19 October 2003 |
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SLMM scotches LTTE's new camp rumours by P. Krishnaswamy and Eravur Gp.Corr. The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) on Friday scotched rumours about the construction of a second LTTE military camp and said that the new building coming up in Ampara district was 'a conference hall'. Rumours were rife that the LTTE was putting up a military camp at Pawattakulam near Thirukovil in Ampara district close on the heels of its controversial Wan-Ela camp in Manirasakulam, Trincomalee district. ead of the SLMM Ampara district office, Terje Halvorsen, who had inspected the Pawattakulam site said categorically that "It is not a military camp but a meeting hall". STF authorities in Ampara had earlier reported to the SLMM about a new structure coming up. Halvorsen said that the building has one hall, two rooms and a garden with no signs of a military camp. All doubts and misunderstandings on this matter were cleared at a discussion last Wednesday in the presece of Senior Superintendent of Police (STF), Upul Seneviratne and LTTE political leaders for Batticaloa/Ampara, Wawa and Kousalyan. SP Upul Seaviratne told the "Sunday Observer" that their meeting with the LTTE last week was very cordial and the LTTE had accepted the reasons adduced by him for the delay to shift the STF camps located near Pottuvil hospital and at Kajirankudah. Lands with buildings have already been acquired in the neighourhoods but physical shifting of the camps is being delayed due to official red tape, he said. n the Pawattakulam site both the Government forces and LTTE were still operating as there were no clear demarcation lines but confirmed there have been no encounters since mutual goodwill prevailed between the two sides, he said. amil National Alliace (TNA) parliamentarians for Ampara district, Chandra Nehru, said that the 'meeting hall' in question is part of the LTTE's propaganda campaign to consolidate their position as a mainstream political party. Certain parties have viewed it with alarm without any basis, he said. |
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