N. Srikantha, a lawyer and senior member of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK), asserted that Eelam Tamils should not be misled by the narratives presented by Sinhalese politicians such as Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who has failed to adequately address the ethnic issue or accountability for the Tamil genocide.
“The National People’s Power is seeking the support of the Tamil people, and they should present their solution to the ethnic issue,” he said during a press conference in Jaffna this week. “Anura Kumara Dissanayake has promised to create a social structure free of corruption and abuse of power. What about investigations into war crimes and ensuring the rights of Tamils?”
Srikantha informed reporters that Tamils are well aware of the actions of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which has formed a coalition called the National People’s Power. “The Tamil people are well aware of how the JVP acted until the end of the war, and we also know that the division of the North-East provinces was carried out by the JVP.”
He added that most politicians lack an understanding of the problems faced by Tamils, and issues such as enforced disappearances cannot be resolved through mechanisms led by the Sri Lankan government. “We have no faith in domestic mechanisms and will continue to demand an international investigation.”
“Political parties should consider the problems of the Tamil people from the Tamil perspective,” he emphasized.
Recently, Dissanayake vowed not to punish perpetrators of war crimes as he released his manifesto this week, notably excluding any reference to accountability or militarisation of the Tamil North-East. The manifesto available in Sinhalese and Tamil, but not English on their website, had stark gaps regarding justice and accountability for Tamils. There were no explicit references to the implementation of the 13th Amendment, accountability for Sri Lanka's war crimes, or the militarisation of the North-East.
Meanwhile, Justice C.V. Wigneswaran, a Member of Parliament from the Jaffna District, stated that only Sumanthiran’s faction of the ITAK has extended its support to Sajith Premadasa, while the rest of the party supports the Tamil common candidate Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanenthiran.
He made these remarks while campaigning for Ariyanenthiran in Jaffna this week. "Those who came to power did so with our votes included and then suppressed us,” he said commenting on the upcoming polls.
He explained that this was one of the main reasons for fielding a Tamil common candidate, with the belief that Tamils should have the right to live in dignity. “Even if he does not become president, we have used this process to unite the Tamil people,” Wigneswaran added.
He urged Eelam Tamils to think as a community and vote for Ariyanenthiran to demonstrate their unity.
