COLOMBO, SEPT. 27. The Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) today warned that ``turning a blind eye’’ to the ``terrorism of the LTTE’’ could only usher in the ``peace of the graveyard’’ in Sri Lanka at the cost of democracy, pluralism and human rights of the island nation’s Tamils.
The EPDP blamed Norway for adopting a soft approach. Registering their protest, the EPDP demonstrators took to the streets here and placed the coffin of their latest victim, Somasundaram Varnakulasingham, who was shot dead here on September 23 `F3 outside the Norwegian Embassy for a short while.
However, after the Norwegian Envoy, Hans Brattskar, spoke to the EPDP general secretary and Cabinet Minister, Douglas Devananda, the demonstrators continued the funeral procession.
"We want the international community to exert more pressure on the LTTE to stop the killings," Mr. Devananda told The Hindu tonight after Singham’s funeral. Referring to the frequent meetings by the international community with the LTTE’s political wing leader, S.P. Tamilchelvan, the EPDP general secretary said: ``It is not enough if they meet Tamilchelvan, they must directly interact with the LTTE leader, V. Prabakaran, and exert pressure on him.’’
In a letter to Mr. Brattskar earlier today, Mr. Devananda wanted the Norwegian Government and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) ``to admit their failure to protect innocent lives, particularly the lives of Tamil democrats’’ in the island.
Another anti-LTTE activist, Valli Sundaram (61), a member of the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF-Varathar faction) was shot dead in the northern Jaffna peninsula today.
Describing the killing as the continuation of attacks by the LTTE against parties opposed to it, Mr. Devananda said: ``in our house, funerals are becoming a recurring event.’’
The EPRLF-V in a statement tonight ``strongly condemned’’ the killing.
(The Hindu)
