Government, Tamil Tigers swap POWs

Amidst emotional scenes the Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) exchanged prisoners held by both sides in northern Sri Lanka yesterday giving further confidence to the Norwegian backed peace process aimed at ending the ethnic conflict.

Eleven Tamil guerrillas, among them one of those responsible for the destruction of a military helicopter, were released in no-man's land between the military controlled area and the guerrilla controlled area in exchange for the seven Sri Lankan security personnel held in their custody.

In Colombo, two more female guerrilla cadres were released through the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Commander Ajith Boyagoda of the Sri Lanka Navy captured in 1994 and seven other soldiers who were seized in 1993 during an attack on a northern military complex were reunited with their families at a ceremony attended by top military officials.

The ceremony to release the prisoners included short speeches in which both sides appealed to each other to look for more prisoners and release them from custody.

Defence Ministry Secretary Austin Fernando said there was a belief, "rightly or wrongly, among the relatives, friends and others of missing persons that some such people may be living in areas presently accessible mainly to the LTTE, perhaps unaware of the developments taken place in the country."

"I would earnestly urge the LTTE to commence verification as to whether any such persons still remain in these areas, either living of their own or otherwise," he said.

But, in a prepared statement read out by a senior member of the LTTE there was the response to the question raised by the Defence Secretary. The LTTE said that this was the last batch which was being released and there were no other government soldiers in their custody.

Instead they called the government to expedite the cases against other LTTE personnel who are in custody in the south of the country.

The Defence Secretary said the release of the prisoners was a significant milestone to a negotiated settlement of what was at one time considered an intractable conflict.

Meanwhile, as the seven soldiers walked out to freedom during a prisoner swap in Omanthai, Vavuniya, yesterday, the fate of seven others taken captive near Trincomalee raised serious concerns for the government.

This was after it turned out that the detention of the seven soldiers was in retaliation for the arrest of two Tiger guerrillas.

Fernando telephoned LTTE political leaders in Kilinochchi to obtain their release. He is also learnt to have raised the issue when he met LTTE representatives during yesterday's prisoner swap in Omanthai, North of Vavuniya.

Even efforts by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission to secure the release of the seven have failed so far.

Spokesman for the mission Teitur Torkelsson told Gulf News that there has been no breakthrough in the attempt to secure the release of the seven soldiers, but efforts were being continued to get them released.

"The LTTE is insisting that two of their cadres be released in exchange for the seven soldiers," the spokesman said.