‘Southern fears of Interim Administration unfounded’

[TamilNet, Saturday, 02 August 2003, 14:28 GMT]
The people of the South should have no fears that the Interim Administration (IA) for the North-East of Sri Lanka, currently being considered by the United National Front Government of Sri Lanka, will harm the integrity of the country, said Mr. Lal Wijenaike, Politburo member of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), in an interview with the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation Saturday, sources said.

Mr. Wijenaike said that the idea of an IA was nothing new. “The idea was mooted in 1987 and has been considered since then. The people of the south should not be misled by some political parties that claim the IA would be tantamount to offering a separate country” for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, he said. “The IA is not going to affect the country in any way.”

However, he said that approval from the Sri Lankan parliament should be sought for the IA. “The main aim of the IA is to make the LTTE participate in the administration of the North-East,” Mr. Wijenaike said, adding that “the Interim Administrative Council should not be used for other narrow purposes. The LTTE should also stop violations of human rights and the laws of Sri Lanka.”

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