‘SLA constructions undermine truce’

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 June 2002, 18:04 GMT]
The construction of new camps and bunkers by the Sri Lankan military in Jaffna was undermining the restoration of normalcy and violated the spirit of the ceasefire agreement between the LTTE an the government, the head of the Liberation Tigers' political section in the northern peninsula, Mr. T. Ilamparithi, told a press briefing Saturday.

“We deplore the construction of new camps and bunkers by the Sri Lanka army in Jaffna. Such actions are not consonance with the spirit of the ceasefire agreement we signed with the Sri Lankan government. Colombo’s attitude is not too helpful for restoring normalcy in the northeast”, said T. Ilamparithi.

The Tigers called the press briefing at their district political office at Potpathy Road in Kokkuvil, 2 kilometres north of Jaffna town around 4 p.m. Saturday.

Mr. Ilamparithi emphasised that the ceasefire agreement with Colombo is not for the Liberation Tigers but for the Tamil people, for helping them rebuild their war devastated lives.

The LTTE official was responding to the charge by Sinhala nationalists and the English and Sinhala press in the south that the ceasefire has conceded too much to the Tigers while not getting anything in return for the government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The LTTE however, dismiss the charge. They point out that they waged war very successfully on the Sri Lankan state while the economic embargo and the draconian controls on fishing were in place; and while the Sri Lankan security forces enjoyed the right to occupy temples, schools, homes, private building etc., in the northeast.

“Journalists too should work towards making this peace permanent. Do not work for your own publicity but work for the people”, he told the Jaffna press.