Tuesday, July 26, 2005

CFA "a most foolish act": Anandasangaree by Neville de Silva in London

The TULF leader made a devastating attack on the Sri Lanka Government, the opposition and the Norwegians at a talk in London last week. V. Anandasangaree claimed that the LTTE had killed over 350 individuals since the ceasefire agreement and committed over 3,000 violations.

"Yet the government, the opposition and the SLMM have not condemned this," he said adding that it only encouraged the Tigers to act at will.The TULF leader said he had not received any reply when he asked Eric Solheim whether he had been allowed to go beyond the 'iron curtain' in Kilinochchi and see the detention and torture centres where many Tamils were being held incommunicado.

"There are hundreds of Tamils in these torture chambers. I have a duty to liberate my people. During the tsunami tragedy I was able to go from Panadura to the deep south. But I am unable to visit my electorate in Jaffna," said Mr. Anandasangaree addressing a dinner meeting organised by the Sinhala Association and presided over by Douglas Wickramaratne.

Though many people initially welcomed the ceasefire agreement "it was a most foolish act" as it allowed the LTTE to take control of Jaffna in the guise of conducting political work. After the tsunami there was no need for a joint mechanism. But if the government insisted it should first get the LTTE to stop all killings, stop the abduction and recruitment of children and introduce democracy to the area, he added. "Tamils want a united Sri Lanka. I am against a separate state. India will not tolerate it. We all want one Sri Lanka," said Mr. Anandasangaree, while proposing a system of government similar to India as a political solution.

Douglas Wickramaratne introduced the TULF leader as a courageous and moderate Tamil who had suffered personal tragedies at the hands of the LTTE.

(http://www.sundaytimes.lk/050724/news/18.html)

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