Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka criticised efforts by South Africa to facilitate dialogue between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), stating the Tamil struggle should not be equated to that against Apartheid.
“We do not welcome this initiative," Mr. Ranawaka, Minister of Technology, Research and Atomic Energy, and also the General Secretary of the government coalition partner, Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), told Sri Lanka's Sunday Times, calling for "a fuller investigation of all matters".
Organisations like Global Tamil Forum (GTF) and the British Tamil Forum (BTF) 'had created the impression that the so-called armed struggle in Sri Lanka by Tamil groups was similar to the one waged by those in the African National Congress', the Sunday Times cited him as saying.
“We fought against separation. In South Africa, they fought against apartheid,” he said, reportedly adding, 'it is only recently that the South African Government has obtained “our side of the story".
Calling for an international investigation into the period of Indian intervention, Minister Ranawaka said,
“These aspects should have also been probed by the so-called international investigation.”
See full Sunday Times feature here, for an interview with the TNA leader R. Sampanthan on the South African initiative, in light of the TNA's recent visit, as well as views from TNA Northern Provincial Councillors Ananthy Sasitharan, and M.K. Shivajilingham.
See also our feature on South African initiative: Enter South Africa?
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
