LTTE should lay down arms -Sangaree

by P. Krishnaswamy

V. Anandasangaree, Leader of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) said that the LTTE should lay down arms to avert civilian casualties in the ongoing war and enter the negotiation process to facilitate Government’s efforts to evolve a political solution.

He expressed concern over the large number of casualties in confrontations in Mullaitivu and blamed the LTTE for bringing about the situation which even the international community has condemned.

He said the stance taken by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians too should be condemned though they claim to represent the war-torn Tamil areas of the North for being silent while the international community including the EU , UK, US, Canada and India have repeatedly called upon the LTTE to allow civilians trapped in the war zone to safer areas in the liberated territory, he said.

Only the misled leaders of Tamil Nadu and the TNA are harping on the a ceasefire.

The TNA parliamentarians have a duty to safeguard the innocent civilians and not the LTTE which had been the cause of the deaths of several thousands in the past. The people of Vanni may even be prepared to forget the past but they will never pardon the TNA for demanding ceasefire without taking any steps to release the people from the war zone, Sangaree said, adding that the people in the war zone are living in constant fear and tension over their safety, deprived of a wink of peaceful sleep, food and shelter because of the fear of their lives.

The Tamil Nadu political leaders who are clamouring for a ceasefire should discontinue such agitations if they are genuinely concerned over the welfare of the Tamil people here and should unitedly press for a just political solution to the Sri Lankan ethnic problem, Anandasangaree said.