Ground conditions will dictate process forward - Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 January 2006, 10:09 GMT]
Unless there is a marked change in the ground conditions currently dominated by violent conduct by the Sri Lankan Armed forces and the paramilitaries, the patience of the Tamil population, facing killings on a daily basis in the SLA controlled Tamil homeland, will be put on a serious test, LTTE's Political Head S.P. Thamilchelvan, told media following the meeting in Kilinochchi with the Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Hans Brattskar and the Head of the Scandinavian truce monitors in Sri Lanka, Hagrup Haukland. LTTE Political Head further said that the LTTE leader V. Pirapaharan would convey LTTE's stand to the Norwegian Special Envoy Erik Solheim at the end of January.

The LTTE leader will meet the Norwegian Special Envoy and Development Minister of Norway Erik Solheim, Thamilchelvan told the reporters.

Civilian life in the Sri Lanka Army controlled areas is greatly disturbed and fear of life has gripped our people as never before in the almost four-year Ceasefire period, the LTTE Political Head said.

"Tamil civilians are being killed on a daily basis, the Human Rights violations by the Sri Lankan armed troopers are at a record high, Tamil civilians in their thousands are moving to safer LTTE areas. There are also reports of civilians fleeing to Tamil Nadu."

"It is the ground realities that would dictate the process forward," LTTE's Political Head said adding that the LTTE leadership would convey its stand in clear terms to the Norwegian facilitators in the crucial meeting scheduled at the end of January.