Publicity stunts double ahead of CHOGM:

LTTE’s network in do or die campaign

by Manjula Fernando

The Monitoring MP for External Affairs Ministry Sajin de Vass Gunawardena said that the LTTE’s overseas network has not slackened its efforts to prevent world leaders from attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo.

On the contrary, the LTTE’s international front, the Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) is now engaged in a do or die campaign even at this late stage to prevent world leaders from taking part in the CHOGM Gunawardena said.

With the CHOGM three months away, “Their publicity stunts and mechanisms have doubled,” he said adding that the statement by British State Minister for Foreign Affairs Alistair Burt the decision to go to Sri Lanka has been made is encouraging and a major victory against the LTTE’s anti Sri Lanka campaign.

Burt told the media that the British delegation intended to visit Sri Lanka for the CHOGM to see for themselves if Sri Lanka has under performed.

Earlier, those in the TGTE wrote to the British Prime Minister David Cameron asking him to boycott the Commonwealth’s biggest event in its calendar. “Some western countries are not aware of what is happening in Sri Lanka and are easily misled,” the MP said and added that this was the reason why the Government was keen that all leaders should visit Sri Lanka and have first-hand experience of the see-change since the end of terrorism.

“We want them to walk around Sri Lanka and see for themselves the difference.”

MP Gunawardena said if someone tried to prevent anyone from visiting Sri Lanka, it meant that they feared being exposed and that the market for their lies would be shunned.

Responding to opposition allegations that CHOGM will sap the country’s economy, he said when you look at the overall picture the benefits that we would derive in tangible and monetary terms, will far outweigh the costs that the country would incur.