Tamil unity talks continue, Joseph, Vinayagamoorthy stall

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 October 2001, 12:34 GMT]
Negotiations between the main opposition Tamil political parties to form a common front to contest the general elections to the Sri Lankan Parliament which commenced Thursday are still inconclusive, despite appeals and memoranda sent by supporters and general interest groups urging unity, political sources said. Mr. Appapillai Vinayagamoorthy, the leader of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress announced as soon as the Parliament was dissolved that his party would go it alone. However, following deliberations late last night, Mr. Vinayagamoorthy said that the ACTC would refrain from dividing the Tamil vote outside the Jaffna electoral district. Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham ex- MP for Batticaloa said he was not in favour of his party forming an alliance with the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO).

Nevertheless, Mr. Selvam Adaikalanathan, ex-MP for the Vanni and leader of the TELO, commenting on the negotiations, said Friday, “This is an important conjuncture in Tamil people’s political history. This is the time for us to stand united to defeat the divide and rule strategy of Sinhala hegemonists. We should not bicker over a fundamental question like the Tamil nation’s unity and integrity. We are duty bound to transcend our individual party identities in the interests of the struggle”.

TULF sources said that the party has had positive discussions with the TELO about a common Tamil front and that there will be talks between ACTC, TELO and the TULF.