'Peace process has not helped the war-affected' - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 April 2004, 19:10 GMT]
Despite the two and a half years of ceasefire, the people affected by the war in the Tamil homeland have not been able to return to their normal lives, and the Liberation Tigers consider this a setback in the peace process, said Mr. S.P. Thamilchelvan, the political head of the LTTE, speaking as a special guest at the North-East Economic Advisory Council’s conference in the Vanni Monday, sources said.

Mr. Thamilchelvan said that however there has been progress in the sphere of explaining the rationale and the justification for the LTTE’s “liberation struggle” to the international community through political and diplomatic means, and in the international’s community’s acceptance of the LTTE’s key role as representatives of the Tamil people.

During the peace process, the LTTE leader [Mr. V. Pirapaharan] has shown the Government of Sri Lanka the strength of the LTTE and the liberation struggle and that they cannot entertain any thought of finding a military solution to the Tamil national question, said Mr. Thamilchelvan. “The leader has put a stop to the idea that the GOSL can suppress and destroy the Tamil people,” he said. “The leader has shown that it is only by talking to the Tamil people or the ‘Tamil nation’ that the GOSL can come to an agreement.”