LTTE commander warns of grave consequences

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 January 2004, 07:57 GMT]
"If the Sinhala government thinks that our leader's sincere efforts to find a peaceful solution is a manifestation of weakness and thrusts a war on us, the consequences would be very grave," said Mr. T. Ramesh, LTTE's special commander for the Batticaloa-Ampara District, addressing a massive Pongu Thamil rally in Batticaloa Wednesday.

LTTE Special Commander Mr.T.Ramesh delivering his speech

More than sixty thousand people from the Batticaloa and Ampara districts thronged the grounds of the Eastern University for the Pongu Thamil festival on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka's minister for community devlopment, Mr. P. Chandrasekeran, Tamil National Alliance MPs Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, Mr. M.K Sivajilingam, Mr. G. Krishnapillai and the leader of the Western Province People's Front, Mr. Mano Ganeshan, Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mr. Saman Athauda, local religious and community leaders and academics took part in the rally.

"The international community should understand that Tamils are Tigers, they are inseparable. Tamils and Muslims lived as one family in the east. Our senior commander, Col. Karuna Amman says that Muslims and Tamils are one. Sinhala politicians and some external forces are manipulating certain Muslim leaders to divide and weaken our struggle. We will defeat this," Commander Ramesh said.