TNA manifesto to be released shortly

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 February 2004, 20:22 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance is to release its election manifesto for the forthcoming general election during this week. It is under preparation, said the TNA leader and the party's lead candidate in the Trincomalee district, Mr.R.Sampanthan, Sunday.

The TNA manifesto would divulge the reason why the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam supports the TNA in the forthcoming general election and the TNA would also tell the Tamil people why they should extend their wholehearted support to the TNA, Mr.Sampanthan said.

TNA's election manifesto would focus its attention on stressing self-determination for Tamils and also to accept the Interim Self-Government Authority proposals of the LTTE as a step toward finding a permanent political solution to the Tamil national question, TNA sources said.

"The manifesto would also reveal its stand on the Muslim question. The LTTE leadership has also been firm in its stand that Muslim aspirations should be addressed in a positive manner to achieve a lasting peaceful solution to the Tamil national question," Mr.Sampanthan said.

The time has come for the Tamils and Muslims to bury their differences once and for all and to work for a peaceful political solution to the ethnic conflict. Both communities have been living in the northeast for centuries as brothers and sisters. During the wartime the successive governments have deliberately created rift between Tamils and Muslims to meet their own chauvinistic ends, said Mr.Sampanthan.