Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse Tuesday dismissed Tamil Tiger leader Vellupillai Pirapaharan’s declaration Monday that Colombo’s intransigence has compelled Tamils no option but to seek an independent state.
Expressing frustration at the intransigence of successive Sinhala regimes towards resolving Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict, Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Pirapaharan said this week that there was alternative for the Tamils but political independence.
In his annual Heroes’ Day statement, Mr. Pirapaharan criticised the deceitful handling of the current Norwegian peace efforts by three successive Sinhala regimes.
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| President Mahinda Rajapakse inspects a Sri Lankan warship. Photo Daily Mirror. |
President Rajapakse had instead intensified the war on the one hand and whilst on the other hand talking about finding a peaceful resolution, he said.
The LTTE leader said that this dual war and peace approach is fundamentally flawed and due to this strategy of the Rajapakse regime, the 2002 Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) has become defunct, he said.
“It is not possible to find a resolution by marginalizing and destroying the freedom movement with which talks must be held to find the resolution. This is political absurdity on the part of the Sinhala leaders.”
The LTTE leader said that the present regime, which is denying food and medicine to the people to the extent of starving them, cannot be expected to show compassion and give the Tamil people their political rights.
“The Rajapakse regime is not giving due importance to the peace talks because it has confidence in its military approach,” he said.
The Sinhala nation, eternally trapped in the mythical ideology of the Mahavamsa, has failed to think afresh and has left the Tamils with only one option, political independence and statehood, he said.
President Rajapakse, who is visiting India this week, on Tuesday dismissed Mr. Pirapaharan’s comments, saying “I have not taken it seriously. Because he has always been saying these things,”
President Rajapakse’s comments came after belligerent and contradictory responses by Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka, government defence spokesman Rumbekwella and government Peace Secretariat chief Palitha Kohana.
President Rajapakse told the CNN-IBN television channel in India that he was ready for direct talks with Pirapaharan instead of involving ‘others’ to end an ethnic conflict.
He also attacked Mr. Pirapaharan.
“He has been talking like this from the start. He has been saying these things even though he came for talks. He always wanted to kill people. He has killed more Tamils than Sinhalese. Just count the number and you will know,” President Rajapakse said.
Asked what can Sri Lanka do to convince the LTTE leader to return to the negotiating table, the President replied: “I don't know.”
“I can talk to him straight. So let us talk,” he then said.
“I always tell him 'why do you want others to get involved in Sri Lanka?'“ President Rajapakse said, without elaborating how this had been done, but referring to Norwegian facilitators.
“I am taking a political risk by offering to negotiate with [him],” the president also said, referring to the Sinhalese-nationalist groups supporting him and which are opposed to peace talks and Norway’s role.
Reacting to Mr. Pirapaharan’s comments earlier, Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake, who visiting Vietnam, said: “negotiations will go on.''
Norwegian brokered negotiations are stalled amid soaring violence after acrimonious and inconclusive talks in Geneva in October.
“There is terrorism and there is negotiations,'' Prime Minister Wickramanayake said.
“Let the LTTE react in the way they want,” he said. “Terrorism must be stopped by them, not us. We are not terrorists.”
“Ultimately the Tamil people must decide whether they accept terrorism or not, not we,” he said.
Echoing President Rajapakse, the Premier also said: “I am not aware of what the Tamil leader said so far. I haven't read it. I haven't seen it.”
Sri Lankan spokesman on defence matters, minister Keheliya Rambukwella, said President Rajapakse would adhere to the CFA and would continue with the peace process.
Mr. Rambukwella also attacked Mr. Pirapaharan.
“Duplicity is all over the speech. Every word, every sentence is duplicity,” he said of the LTTE leader’s Heroes Day address.
The head for the government's peace secretariat, Palitha Kohona, was the first government official to react Monday to Mr. Pirapaharan’s comments.
“I don't have to listen to a terrorist in the jungle,” he snapped. “If they provoke us, we will take appropriate measures to counter that.”
