President vows to exterminate LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 November 2001, 02:36 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government Wednesday stepped up its rhetoric against the Liberation Tigers vowing not to rest until the movement “was exterminated.” “Now I stress that we are determined more than at any time in our struggle to wipe out terrorism and we will continue to wage war against the Tigers to a logical conclusion," President Chandrika Kumaratunga was quoted by the state press as saying at an election rally of her ruling People's Alliance at Hanguranketha on Tuesday night. She also reiterated her accusations against the main opposition United National Party (UNP) saying it was in league with the LTTE to divide the country.

She told the meeting that almost 75% of the war had been waged effectively in the North East and that she and her government would not rest until the LTTE was exterminated.

This was necessary for fulfilling and re-establishing the neglected rights of the Tamil and Muslim people, she maintained, according to the Daily News.

Kumaratunga said that as long as her term of Presidency lasts she would not go back on her promise to the nation to defeat the LTTE militarily if the Tigers are not willing to enter into peaceful negotiations.

“I reiterate that the PA government is determined to go for a peaceful resolution on this issue. We are against all forms of terrorism and the terror perpetrated by the LTTE in this country for the last 20 years,” Kumaratunga said. “We have tried several times to resolve this issue during our seven year tenure in office, but each time the LTTE had hoodwinked us and all the citizens of this country, be they Sinhala, Tamil or Muslim.”

She said that though she and her government was capable of withstanding the onslaught of the LTTE, the attempts made on the sly by UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe to grant Eelam would threaten the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka.

“Only the PA is able to overpower Ranil and the LTTE and further enhance the economic benefits of the country. If not, it will be an irrevocable mistake which will seriously affect future generations,” President Kumaratunga was quoted by the Daily News as saying.