PLOTE cadres defect to LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 October 1997, 23:59 GMT]
Two members of the PLOTE defected to the LTTE in Chenkalady in the Batticaloa district, taking their weapons with them.

They went off with two assault rifles, nine grenades and four magazines of 7.62 mm ammunition to join the Liberation Tigers.

The two PLOTE cadres were based in the group's camp located near the Sri Lankan army detachment which stands at the approach to the Badulla road at Chenkalady junction.

Two kilometers from the point the Liberation Tigers have a checkpoint on this road to supervise traffic entering the vast region beyond, which is under their control.

The Sri Lankan army and Police in the area are alarmed because the two boys had for a long time complete access into all their camps and positions.

The brother of one boy is a member of the TELO which also has a camp of armed cadres working with the army at Chenkalady and nearby Kommathurai.

The TELO castigated the PLOTE for harbouring the two defectors.

Sources said that changing all the security arrangements known to the two boys will take time and is complicated.

The local leaders of the PLOTE angered by all this have given a dire warning to the immediate relatives of the defectors - that they (the relatives) would pay dearly if the LTTE were to carry out any attack in Chenkalady.