Tigers woo ex-militant groups' cadres

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 November 1998, 11:38 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers in the east of the island have begun a leaflet campaign to recruit members of Tamil groups operating with the Sri Lankan Army (SLA). One leaflet addressed to "Tamil youth working with the Sinhala Army" was published yesterday along with two poetry based pamphlets said sources in Batticaloa.

Addressing the cadres of the ex-militant Tamil groups as "our dear Tamil brothers" in their open letter, the Liberation Tigers said:

"You are forced by circumstances to depend for your livelihood on the Sinhala Army. But, whether you accept it or not, the Tigers are the Tamil peopleís strength. By taking up arms against this force for freedom, you are carrying arms against the Tamil people."

"By harassing the innocent Tamils at checkpoints, what can you achieve other than bringing disrepute to our struggle for motherland? Your story resembles an aimless boat that is being steered towards destruction. This delights the enemy." said the leaflet.

"We pity you. In these circumstances do you still need to be with the Sinhala forces? It is time to leave" said the leaflet.

"Our dear Tamil brothers, transform into responsible, self-respecting Tamils. We feel that you have started to contemplate such transition. We can see the early signs of such transformation. Bring your friends with you" said the leaflet.

Two other poetry pamphlets, titled "Awake: Let us start our journey to freedom" and "A motherís gift of song: Salute to our motherland" were also distributed by the Tigers. The underlying theme in both was "Join without fear, to fight".