UNP protests, Tamil campaign begins in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 November 2001, 21:16 GMT]
United National Party candidates and supporters Sunday staged a protest against election violence in Vavuniya town while the Tamil National Alliance opened a campaign office on Vairavar Kovil Road in the town centre and held a joint propaganda meeting in Mudaliyakulam in the Cheddikulam division later in the day. The UNP demonstrated against the attack on the party's chief candidate for the district on Friday night in which gunmen suspected to be members of a Tamil Para-military group operating with the Sri Lanka army opened fire on the vehicle in which he was travelling.

UNP's chief candidate for the Vanni electoral district, Mr. Shantha Punchihewa at the demonstration in Vavuniya town Sunday noon, guarded by Sri Lanka army soldiers.(Photo:TamilNet)

Meanwhile, addressing the joint inaugural meeting of the Tamil alliance office Sunday, Mr. 'Suresh' Premachandran, the leader of the EPRLF categorically refuted the allegation that the Tamil Alliance had a secret pact with the UNP.

Mr. Appathurai Vinayagamoorthy, the leader of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress held a press briefing at the Vavuniya Rest House following the opening of the alliance's campaign office. He told the press in Vavuniya that there was no truth at all in the allegation by Sinhala nationalists that there is a secret agreement between the Alliance and the United National Party.

The Tamil National Alliance held its first campaign meeting in the Vanni in Mudaliyakulam later on Sunday afternoon.

Addressing the meeting Mr.Periyannan, one of the main candidates of the Tamil alliance in the Vanni electoral district, said, amid loud applause, that the Tamil people will not sell their national honour for the 'crumbs' thrown at them by the People's Alliance regime.

"If we, Tamils, have any dignity as human beings today it is solely due to the sacrifices made by the Liberation Tigers. If not for them the dominant Sinhalese parties would have instigated very violent pogroms against us as they did in 58, 56, 77 and 83.

Mahatma Gandhi's non-violent movement for India's independence strengthened the armed struggle of Subash Chandra Bose. Our democratic campaign for Tamil unity and upsurge is similarly aimed at boosting the freedom struggle of the LTTE," said Mr. Selvam Adaikalanathan, amid loud applause.

Mr. Appathurai Vinayagamoorthy, the leader of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress said: "The only way to solve the ethnic conflict is for the Sri Lankan government to begin negotiations with Velupillai Pirapaharan, the leader of the LTTE. Let's have no illusions about the UNP and the ruling PA. Both are hell bent on destroying the Tamil people. They will not hesitate to do so if it were to get them the general support of Sinhala Buddhists."