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Common candidate must pledge end to militarisation and land grabs in Tamil areas - TNA

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said the party would only endorse a common opposition candidate to run against President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who would demilitarise the North, resettle displaced Tamils in Valikaamam North and Sampur, and end land grabs by the state and military.

"It may be Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge, Ranil Wickremesinghe or Karu Jayasuriya, they should assure that they would resettle the people who are yet in welfare centres in the North and East, vacate the military from the North and stop illegal acquisition," TNA MP Suresh Premachandran said on Monday, speaking at the memorial event of the assassinated TNA MP Nadarajah Raviraj.

"These assurances can be rarely given by any of the candidates who are in the list," he added, reports Ceylon Today.

"Since it is time for a presidential election, the government is calling us for talks. We have had 18 rounds of discussions, but now we have decided, as our party leader Sampanthan recently said, discussion can only be held in the presence of the international community," Premachandran added.

TNA MP Mavai Senathirajah, NPC Councillor Ananthi Sasitharan and M.K. Shivajilingham were present at the event.

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