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Prabhakaran & Son sighted in Puthukudiyiruppu area's "No Fire Zone"
First signs of differences among pro-LTTE outfits over the ongoing war surfaced in Sri Lankan Parliament on Friday. Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP Vinodharadhalingam surprised everyone with his comments in support of the government efforts towards welfare of the displaced in the areas that had come under military control in recent weeks. The MP told Parliament he had personally visited the Kadiragamapuram welfare camp and had witnessed the manner in which the government was taking care of the displaced persons. He maintained that the people in the welfare camp were living free from fear and that they were provided with all necessary amenities under the present conditions. He told the House that vocational training programmes for the youth in the camps "gives them hope of a better future."  In another report, the Defence Ministry said LTTE chief Velupillai Prabakaran, along with his son Charles Anthony Seelan, was sighted several times in the Puthukudiyiruppu area's "No Fire Zone". It said both had, from time to time, come out from the bunkers and explained to non-cadre the importance of rising up against the government forces. "Prabakaran and Charles Anthony Seelan come out of the bunker in non-military attire to mix up easily with the civilians. But they had said they are always surrounded by heavily armed special bodyguards," the Ministry said.Meanwhile, Pro-LTTE TamilNet alleged that shelling by Sri Lanka Army had killed 102 civilians inside the "safety zone" in the last three days. "SLA artillery shelling killed 46 civilians Friday inside the safety zone in the besieged pocket in Mullathivu. On Thursday, 39 civilians including 11 children were killed and at least 17 civilians were reported killed inside the safety zone on Wednesday," it said. Meanwhile, an announcement by the government said police were to conduct a special two-day census on Saturday and Sunday to register the people who had come to the Western Province (in and around Colombo) from the North, East and central provinces during the last five years. Posted by: Fred 2009-03-22 |
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