COLOMBO: The Tamil Tigers on Tuesday threatened to pull out of peace talks with the Sri Lankan government after alleging that a paramilitary outfit had kidnapped 10 members of a non-governmental organisation allied to it.

The LTTE had agreed to the negotiations after a meeting last week with the Norwegian truce monitors. The talks are to be held in Geneva later this month. An LTTE statement said the first kidnapping — of a volunteer for the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) — had taken place near a military checkpoint in Batticaloa district. It further alleged that a van carrying five TRO members had not been heard of since Sunday after it left Tiger-held territory.

The TRO representatives told journalists that 15 of their colleagues travelling through Batticaloa were dragged out of their vehicle by armed men riding a white van.

The Tigers said the kidnappers were ‘paramilitary soldiers’.