N Manickathasan, 40, vice-president of People's Liberation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) and leader of its paramilitary wing, Ilango, its Vavuniya ``area commander'' and another party member identified as Vinoo, were killed in an explosion at the group's heavily fortified camp on the outskirts of the town this afternoon. One other person was injured.

Police said the blast was caused possibly by a claymore mine planted inside the building of the ironically named ``Lucky Camp", and triggered by a person who could see Manickathasan's movements inside.

Thasan, as he was known, had been in PLOTE since 1980 and was elected as member of Jaffna Municipal Council last year. But he was mainly known as the leader of about 400 PLOTE cadreswho were sanctioned arms and sustained by the Sri Lanka Army and government to assist in anti-LTTE operations in Vavuniya. For this among other reasons, Thasan was a marked man for the LTTE.

However, according to his own party members, as early as 1996, either out of political frustration, or for his own protection, or even monetary compensation, he had begun flirting with the enemy. That may have been one reason why the LTTE found it easier than before to infiltrate Vavuniya. It may also have ultimately cost him his life.

``Thasan was an able military commander till he developed a soft-corner for the LTTE. Once that happened, the LTTE found it easy to infiltrate Vavuniya, and ultimately the camp,'' said PLOTE leader and member of parliament Dharmalingam Sidhathan.

Recently, after repeated clashes between PLOTE and TELO, another Tamil group similarly armed and maintained by the government for anti-LTTE operations, the army moved to disarm all cadres. In retaliation, Thasan had urged his cadres to jointhe LTTE.

Several did, in the process blurring the lines even more between the armed wing of PLOTE and the deadly guerrillas against whom they were earlier pitted.

The blast that killed Thasan and his aides points to an inside-job that would have been extremely tough, if not impossible, had that blurring of lines not taken place.

Today's killings prove once again that the LTTE is hell-bent on eliminating each one of those that it considers a threat to its own existence, even if those persons have ceased to be so.

That said, not many tears will be shed for Thasan, except perhaps among the youngsters that he led. He was notorious for allegedly leading an extortion racket in Vavuniya in competition with arch rivals TELO. The turf war between the two is stated to be the main reason for their frequent and violent clashes.

It was also alleged that he ran a torture camp in Vavuniya. The existence of the camp came to light when last year, a manacled Tamil youth with torture marks all over his half-clothedbody somehow escaped and found refuge in a church.

Other leaders of PLOTE, specifically those in the political wing, feared him and maintained a healthy distance from him.

Manickathasan is survived by his wife and three children who live in Chennai.