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Six soldiers freed

by Ranil Wijayapala, Ranga Jayasuriya and K.D. Jayasekara

The six soldiers in LTTE custody were released yesterday evening. "The LTTE handed over the six soldiers to the ICRC yesterday evening at Kumburupitti," SLMM Spokesman Teitur Torkelsson told the Daily News.

Torkelsson said LTTE Trincomalee Political Wing Leader Thilak informed the SLMM of the release of the soldiers and asked for SLMM mediation.

A spokesman of the SLMM Trincomalee office said that the monitors were also present at the handing over of the soldiers. The soldiers were to return to their camp.

The soldiers are Corporal Abeysinghe, Corporal Amarasinghe, Lance Corporal Herath Banda Lance Corporal Jayasekara, Soldiers Anura Wijetunga and Palitha Bandara. The release of the soldiers held in LTTE custody for the last three weeks came after the Appeal Court order to release two LTTE cadres on bail.

The LTTE had been demanding the release of the two cadres charged with the possession of illegal weapons in exchange for the six soldiers.

Trincomalee Magistrate S. Thyagendran yesterday granted bail, in terms of the Court of Appeal order to the two cadres who were in remand prison.

The next date of hearing was set on Feb 27.

There was uncertainty yesterday over whether the two LTTE cadres permitted bail would in fact consent to be released by agreeing to the bail terms imposed by court.

LTTE Trincomalee Political Wing Leader Thilak on Tuesday told the Daily News that the LTTE was "reconsidering" whether to accept the bail conditions.

A spokesman of the LTTE Trincomalee Branch said the regional Tiger leadership decided to accept the bail conditions following discussions with the LTTE Political hierarchy in Kilinochchi.

Seven soldiers of the Monkey Bridge camp attached to the 221 Brigade Headquarters were taken into custody by the LTTE in a disputed area claimed by both the Security Forces and the LTTE. One soldier was later released on humanitarian grounds.

The detention triggered protests in Trincomalee calling for the release of the soldiers with 10,000 people taking to the streets.

The latest breakthrough came after SLMM Chief Gen. Trond Furuhovde's meeting with LTTE Political Wing Head Thamilchelvam during the weekend in Kilinochchi where the former kept pursuing the LTTE to take legal measures to secure the release of the two cadres which the LTTE had been demanding in exchange of the six soldiers.

The LTTE on Monday produced a bail application through their lawyer K. Sivapalan to the Appeal Court which ordered the release of the duo on 25,000 rupees each on bail.

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