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Colombo's transport refusal endangers CFA- Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 June 2005, 08:52 GMT]
"Serious crisis has developed over Sri Lanka Government's continuing refusal to provide travel security to our military commanders across Government controlled areas forcing us to plan our own armed escort. We have pointed out to the Norwegian facilitators to urgently seek the response from Colombo on this matter. Failure to resolve this issue will call into question the continued observation of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA)," said Thamilchelvan in a press briefing to reporters in Kilinochchi, after meeting with Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar and Mr. Wagn Winkel, acting Head of the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Kilinochchi Tuesday morning.

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Press briefing (Tamil)

Associated with Mr. Thamilchelvan were, Mr. P. Nadesan, Head of Thamileelam Police, Mr. S. Puleedevan, Secretary General of the LTTE Peace Secretariat and Mr. Ilanthirayan (Marshall), Head of LTTE political division for Batticaloa-Amparai.

The LTTE delegation pointed out to the Norwegian facilitators the seriously deteriorating situation related to the construction of Buddha statues in Trincomalee, the delays in Colombo's efforts to finalize the Joint Mechanism, and the crisis precipitated by the Sri Lanka Government's continuing refusal to provide security to LTTE's eastern commanders to travel across Government controlled areas, said Head of LTTE's Political Wing, S P Thamilchelvan who led the LTTE delegation.

"Frequent consultation between our military commanders from Batticaloa, Amparai and Trincomalee with the LTTE leadership in Kilinochchi is extremely critical to our movement's operational readiness to maintain peace. Norwegian facilitators have been providing an acceptable mechanism for us until recently. Colombo's refusal to continue this arrangement has forced us to plan our own means of providing travel arrangements using our own land, sea or air capability. We have clearly indicated to the Norwegian delegation that this will lead to a potentially explosive situation," Thamilchelvan further told the reporters.

Responding to a question on recently reported concern by the Government of India on LTTE's airwing and India's reported offer of support to the Government of Sri Lanka, Thamilchelvan said, "Although we are not certain on the veracity of these reports, we can categorically say that all military infrastructures we have built are solely for the purpose of providing safety and security to our people. Our military capabilities were not built to threaten our neighboring countries or any other people. However, if India offers military help to Sri Lanka as a response to our air capability, we will regard that as an act meant to legitimize the killing of thousands of our people by aerial bombardment by the Sri Lanka Air Force. We don't seriously believe India will take that stand."