Tamils denied justice in Sri Lanka - JVP

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 May 1999, 03:20 GMT]
"We accept that Tamils face problems in Sri Lanka. Tamils have received unequal treatment from successive Sri Lankan Governments. They have been denied social justice. Due to these injustices Tamils are undergoing immense hardships now," said Tilvin de Silva, the General Secretary of Janatha Vimukti Peramuna (JVP), while addressing the foreign correspondents at the Galle Face Green Hotel yesterday.

"Sri Lanka is a multi-religious multi-racial country. Therefore we are not prepared to accept its portrayal as a Sinhala-Buddhist country. The injustices faced by the Tamil people are the result of governments refusing to accept the multi-ethnic nature of the Sri Lankan society.

"However, we cannot come to any agreement with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) which claims to be fighting for the rights of the Tamil people. LTTE advocates separation as a solution to the conflict - this we cannot accept. It leads to fragmentation of our country," he said.

Tilvin De Silva further said that if a solution is attempted with the use of arms then it will only pave the way for social injustice. Parties to the conflict must try to find a solution through negotiations. Past governments must be faulted for not pursuing this path vigourously, said the JVP General Secretary.

When a reporter questioned him about JVP's stand on India, Tilvin de Silva said, "We cannot ignore India as it is a big country situated close to us. However, we do not like India to intervene in the internal affairs of another country or apply pressure on its neighbour. We will not allow this to happen."

JVP is a left-wing militant party that led two bloody insurrections to capture state power. Recently, however, the party has renounced violence and has said that it will seek to capture power through elections.