TULF meets Canada foreign ministry officials

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 January 2000, 20:33 GMT]
Joseph Pararajasingham, Parliamentary Group Leader of the Tamil United Liberation Front, told the visiting Canadian official from the South East Asia Department of the Canadian Foreign Ministry, Robert Burley, that any resolution to the Tamil problem should fulfil the fundamental demand of the permanent merger of the northern and eastern provinces.

He cited a further demand as the replacement of the unitary structure of the State with federal or quasi federal constitution, ensuring greater devolution.

Mr Pararajasingham stressed that without the participation of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam a resolution for the ethnic problem could not be implemented.

Mr Burley met Mr Pararajasingham this evening at Batticaloa. Glen Hodgins, Advisor to the Canadian Embassy in Colombo on Political, Economical and Development joined Mr Burley in the discussion with Mr Pararajasingham.

Mr Pararajasingham stressed that any resolution which failed to fulfil the fundamental demands of Tamil community would not be supported by the Tamil United Liberation Front.

Mr Pararajasingham brought to the notice of Mr Burley the harassment undergoing by Tamils in Batticaloa and Ampara after the formation of the present government. The proposed pass system, expected to be introduced in Batticaloa and Ampara, would certainly put the Tamil community into more troubles as had happened in the Vanni region.

Mr Pararajasingham said that the Government had classified "cleared and uncleared areas" only in the north east province and not in other parts of the country. Because of this classification, the Government had refused the Norwegian Aid granted under DERBA program to be utilized in uncleared areas in the Batticaloa district. This was clear discrimination shown by the Government.