TELO ISSUES ULTIMATUM (99 Sep 01)
The Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) has said that if the government does not give back their arms in two weeks, it will have no alternative but to quit mainstream politics and join the LTTE. TELO calls itself as an ex-militant organisation thinks that the government is discriminating against them. The leader of the TELO and Vavuniyava district member of parliament Amirthanathan Adaikalanathan has told "The Sunday Times" that government has disarmed them while the rival group PLOTE is being armed. Adaikalanathan has added that one of their camps was burnt at the instigation of the PLOTE group in Vavuniyava.
Rather than giving back arms to the TELO what the government should do is to disarm the PLOTE as well. These groups are supposed to have entered mainstream politics and if so there cannot be any reason why they should be carrying arms. In fact the prime motive of the government should be to defeat the LTTE and disarm them too.