Vanni MP alleges conspiracy to derail peace talks

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 May 2002, 17:48 GMT]
A leading MP of the Tamil National Alliance, Mr. 'Selvam' Adaikalanathan, alleged Friday that there is a conspiracy by anti-peace Sinhala nationalist elements in the opposition and in the Sri Lankan armed forces to destabilize the United Front Government and its peace efforts. He said that there are patently systematic moves in sections of the Sinhala media and in the armed forces to discredit the UNF's peace initiative among the Sinhala masses.

"Why is the Sri Lanka Navy continuing to shoot innocent Tamils in the Trincomalee district and provoke the LTTE into retaliation in the eastern seas?" he asked, referring to the second incident in recent weeks in which the SLN Friday shot Tamil fishermen in Trincomalee.

Speaking on the debate in the Sri Lankan Parliament on the cease-fire agreement between Colombo and the Liberation Tigers Thursday, Mr. Adaikalanathan said: "The government should investigate the ramifications of the Navy's allegations regarding the incident in Vaharai last week".

"The allegations are clearly aimed at destabilising the United National Front's peace effort. Does the Navy want us to believe that it recovered 12 boxes of 122 mm artillery rounds and RPG shells intact from a boat that blew up? Either the ammunition was made of plastic or the Navy is lying. I am a military trained person. A small charge is enough to blow up a box of artillery shells. The hon. minister of defence can ascertain for himself the fact. Sections of the media quoted the military as saying that the ammo boxes were found floating. This is an insult to our common sense."

"I think the Hon. Minister of Defence knows the weight of an artillery round. Why are such ludicrously blatant fabrications being given wide publicity in sections of the media? The UNF government should investigate whether these are all part of a conspiracy to destabilise the peace process and eventually threaten the UNF leadership itself."

"The provocateurs and their supporters in sections of the Sinhala and English media should understand that their ruses to mislead the Sinhala masses into falling prey to their war profiteering cannot weaken our determination to work for peace," Mr. Adaikalanathan said.

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