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| Sunday, 23 May 2004 |
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Peace - urgent need of the hour - Sangaree "I am not at all opposed to the Government talking PEACE only with the LTTE. What the country urgently needs today is PEACE" states V. Anandasangaree, President of TULF and former Parliamentarian. "However, as far as the recent Parliamentary Election is concerned it is known all over the world that the TNA members were elected by fraudulent means. It is best for us to have the facts of history properly recorded so that the future generation may not curse us. There are a lot of instances that had been recorded in the history based on false facts and had been subsequently quoted as true," he further stated. Following are excerpts from a lengthy statement issued by Anandasangaree: The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) that contested on the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (Federal Party) symbol proudly claims to have won 22 seats and also won the support of 2/3rd of the Tamil voters of the North and the East. I am asking only those handful of Members in the TNA who claim to be the representatives of the TULF a highly democratic party also committed to non-violence, to ask themselves whether they were elected as Members of Parliament at a Democratically held free and fair election, in the North and East? The TNA should realise that the donor countries are more keen in finding a solution to our problem than some of the TNA members of Parliament who were bent only on winning seats at any cost. They have failed to realise that a free and fair election would have made the International Community more enthusiastic in finding a solution to our problem. Having won the election fraudulently the TNA should not expect the International Community that is aware of the rigging, intimidation and mass scale impersonation at the elections, to give one hundred per cent support for them and to endorse all what the TNA says as correct. As a Leader of the Independent Group One, I was entitled to appoint two Poling Agents for each one of the 582 Polling Stations. Did the TNA permit even one Polling Agent at any one of the 582 Polling Stations? The Polling Agents of the EPDP were either chased away or forced to withdraw. The only Polling Agents left were that of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (TNA). What more is wanted for the TNA candidates to get 95% or even 100% of the votes? No meetings were held by me. No canvassing was allowed, Paper Advertisements were either censured or prevented from being published. Further more will the TNA members, who are boasting that the Tamils of the North and the East had given them 2/3rd of the votes cast and had also given them a mandate, tell the people as to what had happened in the uncleared areas of Kilinochchi. Will they deny the fact that under the pretex of performing street dramas all over the Kilinochchi District they had characterised me in a demeaning manner showering heaps of false allegations against me. The TNA should make it known to the International Community that no opportunity was given to me to refute these charges by holding meetings, distributing leaflets or even by sending explanatory leaflets by post. It is now known all over the world that the TNA had won their 20 seats in the North and East by fraudulent means and also that they the TNA supporters did not allow any rival parties to do any campaign freely. I do not believe that the TNA Members of Parliament will have the moral courage to face their constituents. The International Community that is now well aware of the type of victory the TNA won, will certainly ridicule their claim of having obtained a mandate from the Tamil people. I can only say that the claim of the TNA has only prejudiced the Tamil cause, in the minds of every right thinking person in Sri Lanka. The ex-TULF Members in the TNA should take full responsibility for this. |
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