'Thanthai Chelva' remembered

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 April 2002, 18:56 GMT]
The twenty fifth-death anniversary of the late Tamil leader 'Thanthai' Chelvanayakam was observed throughout the Northeast province Friday with religious observances and memorial meetings. In Trincomalee, a the statue of 'Thanthai Chelva' at Sivankoviladi veethi was garlanded Friday morning by a leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Mr.K.Thurairetnasingham. Sivankoviladi Development Association organised the event.

Addressing the gathering near the Chelvanayakam statue, Mr.Thurairatnesingham said that time has come to realize the aspirations of the late leader Thanthai Chelvanayakam. He added that Thanthai Chelva in his final years had declared that only Tamil Eelam will allow the Tamils in this country to live with self-respect.

"Thanthai Chelva put forward the Tamil Eelam demand as a last resort when the Sinhala political leadership of the country disregarded the just demands of the Tamil speaking people through negotiations. For the last fifty-three years the Sinhala dominated governments in powers had deceived Tamil moderate leaders having entered into various agreements and pacts and later abrogating them. The leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Mr.V.Pirapaharan,, who has risen as the unquestionable leader acceptable to all Tamils, is negotiating with the Sinhala dominated government to find a just and reasonable political settlement for the Tamil national question," said Mr.Thurairatnesingham.

"A handful of Sinhala hardliners are now engaged in sabotaging the ongoing peace efforts through Norwegian facilitation. It is a pity to note that these elements had selected Trincomalee, which has been declared by the UNESCO as a peace city to launch their anti-peace march to Colombo opposing the present peace initiative," added the TNA leader.