Parties unhappy over EU comments

Several political parties are dissatisfied with the adhoc comments made by the visiting delegation of the European Parliament without going to the Eastern province, where a significant transformation is now taking place.

The planned visit by the EU Parliamentary delegation to Trincomalee was cancelled at the last minute and they turned back from the Ratmalana Airport while the government had made all arrangements for them to meet the newly formed Provincial Administration.

The Leader of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) Ven. Ellawala Medhanada thera said that the irresponsible manner of the EU delegation showed their vested interests and the government should not dance according to the tune of these Western delegations. He claimed that though Sri Lanka had international friends no country could interfere with the internal issues of Sri Lanka.

“We should resolve our own problems “, he said adding that the so-called international agencies should first warn the LTTE and its friendly political parties to respect human rights rather than pin pointing the government.

“These delegations without seeing the reality try to create a negative image internationally by putting forward the human rights issues.

But they should first highlight the human rights violations by the LTTE. Isn’t killing innocent civilians including babies, women and schoolchildren not human rights violations?” he asked.

Ven. Ellawela Thera said that these LTTE friendly agencies were trying to put the blame on the government which had the responsibility of acting against terrorism. “Why can’t they warn Prabhakaran”, he queried.

The Leader of the JHU said that the claim by the EU that the APRC document was incomplete as the Tamil National Alliance was not included was baseless as the TNA was not the voices of the Tamils but the voice of the LTTE.

He said that TNA is the Parliamentary group of the LTTE and there was no need to include the TNA which voices for a separate State.

However, he urged the government to restrict certain areas of the country for these foreign delegates who had vested interests. Ven. Ellawela Thera said that these delegations were not allowed to visit some areas in countries such as USA and Japan.

The Leader of the PLOTE Dharmalingam Sitharthan who expressed similar views said that the irresponsible manner of the EU Parliamentary delegation refeected as they were issuing comments without seeing the changes in the Eastern region with their own eyes.

He said that Sri Lanka needed international support to develop the country as no country could stand up in isolation but there was no need for international intervention to solve the national problem.

“I personally visited the East and a great deal of development is taking place. The Council is just one month old and they need time do more”, he said.

Sitharthan said that it was unfair for these international agencies to come here on fact-finding missions and issue such negative statements after having brief meetings without seeing the reality. “They should come here with open minds leaving all pre-conceptions.

They should not issue such misleading statements while in Colombo. I think that the people who directly suffer due to terrorism were not included in their statements”, he said regretting for refusing the opportunity given by the government to get a clear picture of the East.

Leader of the newly formed National Freedom Front Wimal Weerawansa said the EU delegation had arrived the country to pursue a hidden purpose and now they had misled the world by issuing their own observations while in Colombo.

He said the ulterior motive behind the visit of the EU delegation was clear by their baseless comments and their sudden decision to refuse to visit Trincomalee while everything was arranged to take them there.

“The EU or any other country cannot interfere with the internal problems of Sri Lanka. They try to bring up the human rights issues to achieve their motives”, he said.

Weerawansa said that the comments of the EU were part of an international conspiracy by the pro- LTTEers to weaken the military moving ahead Kilinochchi, the last stronghold of the LTTE.

He said that everyone knows that the TNA was the LTTE’s Parliamentary group and there was no need to include the TNA in the APRC as they solely voice only for the terrorists and not for the rights of the Tamils.