NEW DELHI, Nov. 9, Police disarmed more than 1,000 Sri Lankan Tamil separatist guerrillas in Madras today, the Press Trust of India (PTI) said.

‘The news agency said police seized a large quantity of automatic rifles, pistols, surface to air missiles, rockets launchers, mortars and grenades in raids on the offices and homes of members of all five guerrilla groups in the South Indian city.

It said the raids passed off without incident senior police officer told Reuters several militant leaders had been arrested and released after questioning.

He declined further detailed of the raids, which came a week after a clash between the militants and Madras residents in which one man was killed. Ten members of the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front were arrested for using automatic weapons in the clash on November 1.

PTI said the raids appeared to be aimed at disciplining the militants who have clashed several times with residents in the capital of Tamil Nadu state

State Chief Minister M.G, Rama chandran met Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi New Delhi today to discuss the political fallout from the crackdown, PTI said

PTI said Rmachandran informed Gandhi of the militants’ rejection early this week of the latest Sri Lankan government proposals to end an ethnic conflict which has claimed at least 4,500 lives. India has tried to mediate between the militants and the government of President Junius Jeyawardene.

More than 100,000 Sri Lankan Tamils have fled across the narrow Palk Strait to Tamil Nadu since guerrillas stepped up their campaign for a separate Tamil state in north and east Sri Lanka in 1983.

Colombo accuses India of allowing guerrillas to shelter and train in Tamil Nadu, home of 50 million Tamils with close links with Sri Lankan Taimls, India denies this.

The guerrillas want the island’s northern and eastern provinces merged into a single Tamil homeland known as Eelam. Colombo rejects this, saying Tamils are not ‘a majority in the east of predominantly Sinhalese Sri Lanka.

Gandhi and Jeyawardene are scheduled to meet next week in Bangalore, South India, at a summit of South Asian leaders.

Article extracted from this publication >> November 14, 1986