More unity among Lankans in Australia - SLFP branch President

by Shirajiv SIRIMANE

The rousing victories for the UPFA Government at the recently concluded presidential and general elections have further reduced the support and sympathy for the LTTE movement in Australia, said President of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, Melbourne branch, Gamini Perera.

He said the number of Tamil people who attend protest rallies has reduced and even the mindset of the Australian government is now fast changing.

"Election results have given a clear indication that people have faith in this Government and the humanitarian operations were not against the Tamil people, but rather to put an end to their suffering. The Tamils as well as Australians now understand that the LTTE was recruiting people by force and people in the war-torn areas were controlled with an iron fist," he said."Development programs such as Uthuru Wasanthaya and Negenahira Navodaya too are well accepted by the Tamil Diaspora and they are now even asking us if they could contribute to these programs", he said.

Perera, who is now in Sri Lanka and supported UPFA candidates at the recently concluded elections, said they too are now working with the Tamil people to bring about prosperity to Sri Lanka.

"We are now trying to change the concept of having separate organisations for Tamils and Sinhalese and trying to bring them under one 'Sri Lankan' umbrella and this has been successful," he said.

He said unlike in the previous year, one could see a strong Tamil presence when events such as Sri Lanka Week were conducted in Australia, which indicates that Tamil people are now supporting Sri Lanka.

He however said there are still LTTE sympathisers in states like Brisbane and Canberra and the Government should conduct awareness programs. He said their association has raised 50,000 Australian Dollars to build a library at the Ranavirugama in Anuradhapura; AD 35,000 of this has already been presented to the President and the Secretary of Defence while the balance would be donated by the end of the year. Perera who is also the President of the Sri Lanka Study Centre for Advancement of Technology and Social Welfare said that the Tamil Diaspora are also keen to invest in the island, especially in the North and the East, and are now attending investment promotion events organised by them.

Commenting on the 'boat people', he said that the Australian government is now studying these people and LTTE activists would be deported.

"The Australian government does not encourage terrorism and this goes well for Sri Lanka," he said.

The study opportunities for Sri Lankans in Australia are on the rise and the Australian education system is of a very high standard. Numerous employment opportunities are also being created especially for skilled workers and it is up to the Ministry of Labour to exploit these openings.

Perera has also written a summary of the Mahinda Chinthana which would be presented to the President at the end of this month. Later it would be distributed in Australia.

"Australians who are high-spenders have different work patterns and due to this they are not seasonal travellers like Europeans. Currently, their favourite destinations are Bali and Thailand. However, if there are direct flights between the two countries, many Australian tourists would come to Sri Lanka in large numbers," he said.