Thamilchelvan killing, a barbaric act- Australian Tamils

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 November 2007, 15:45 GMT]
Australian Federation of Tamil Associations (AFTA), in a media release issued Monday, condemned in the "strongest possible terms, the brutal assassination of the Political Wing leader and the Chief Negotiator of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam by the Sri Lankan airforce," and said AFTA "salutes the Tamil political leader who had won the hearts and minds of all the Tamil people, diplomats in Colombo and many other international dignitaries." AFTA appealed to the "peace loving people of the international community" to "use their influence to persuade the Sri Lankan government to stop all its indiscriminate aerial bombing of civilian targets."

Full text of the media release follows:

Brutal assassination of LTTE Political Wing Leader

AFTA is appalled by and condemns in the strongest possible terms, the brutal assassination of the Political Wing leader and the Chief Negotiator of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam by the Sri Lankan airforce. Brigadier S.P Thamilchelvan and 5 of his colleagues were killed by the indiscriminate aerial bombing of the residential area of the political wing members, against all international norms of war in the wee hours of 05.11.07.

AFTA salutes the Tamil political leader who had won the hearts and minds of all the Tamil people, diplomats in Colombo and many other international dignitaries.

AFTA offers its deepest sympathy to the families of those who have been killed and the Tamil national leader Vellupillai Pirapaharan.

The Tamil National Leader has expressed his grief by saying that; "I raised him as a great commander, an unparalleled political head, a diplomat who communicated with the entire world, and a skilled negotiator."

The National Peace Council (NPC), a Colombo based peace group, condemning the air attack assassination has expressed its concern by saying that, “the assassination of the high profile personality, who had to walk a thin line between the LTTE's military interests and political realities, was a major setback to any possibility of a return to the negotiating table”.

Characterising the death as a big loss, Mr. Erik Solheim, the Norwegian International Development Minister and facilitator for the peace process in Sri Lanka has said that, “Mr. Thamilchelvan was an important contact point between the LTTE and Norway in the facilitation of the peace process”.

BBC has described him as the “Public face of the LTTE” and Reuters news agency has characterised him as “the international face of the LTTE”.

AFTA believes that by this barbaric act, the Sri Lankan government has once again demonstrated that it believes in, only a military solution to the longstanding struggle of the Tamil people of Sri Lanka for their political freedom and oppression, and not interested in a negotiated settlement.

AFTA appeals to all the peace loving people of the international community to condemn this barbaric act of the Sri Lankan government and use their influence to persuade the Sri Lankan government to stop all its indiscriminate aerial bombing of civilian targets.

Media inquiries:

Sydney: Dr. Victor Rajakulendran 0402 484 209
Melbourne: Murugesu Paramanaathan 0408 360 865
Canberra: Dr. Raga Ragavan 0402 387 920