TNA delegation meet Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 May 2002, 22:07 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers Saturday requested the Tamil National Alliance to pressurise the Sri Lankan government for the speedy implementation of the permanent cease-fire which came into effect on February 23.

A four-member delegation of the TNA met the head of the LTTE's Political Section, Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan Saturday morning at the movement's Killinochchi headquarters.

The TNA delegation comprised parliamentarians Mr.R.Sampanthan (TULF), Mr.A.Vinayagamoorthy (ACTC), Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan (TELO) and Mr.Sivasakthi Anandan (EPRLF-Suresh wing).

The talks between the LTTE and TNA centered on the shortcomings in implementing the cease-fire agreement, continuous detention of Tamil political prisoners under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and Emergency Regulations (ER) and the poor living conditions of the displaced people returning from the Vanni region to their own villages in other parts of the northeast due to lack of government financial support, a TNA spokesman told TamilNet.

Mr. Thamilchelvan also stressed that the peace talks with the government will begin only after the ban on the LTTE is lifted.

The LTTE had pointed out at the discussion that the terms of the cease-fire agreement had not been explained to the Tamil community.

The LTTE requested the TNA to undertake the responsibility of informing the Tamil public about the agreement. Further the LTTE stated that the problems faced by the Tamils should also be explained to the majority community.