17 July 2007
In an interview with the Reuters, the leader of the LTTE’s political wing, Mr. S. P. Tamilselvan, declared that the organisation would target major military and economic structures in the future with an aim of crippling the island’s economy.
He also told the Norwegian envoy that the co-chairs had failed to pressure the Sir Lankan government over its human rights abuses.
“Our targets would be in the future major military and economic structures of the government of Sri Lanka,” Tamilselvan said speaking to Simon Gardiner from Reuters Friday.
“They will be targets which help the government sustain its military operations and military rule,” he added.
Mr. Tamilselvan citied air raids by the Tamileelam Air Force (TAF) on March 28 on oil storage facilities in Kolonnawa and Muththuraajawala in the suburbs of the capital Colombo as examples of type of attacks the LTTE will be carrying out in the future, with the aim of destabilising the island’s economy.
“For instance (our) attack on the oil installations. That is one of the targets that will cripple the economy of Sri Lanka as well as the military capability of Sri Lanka, so such will be the tactic,” Reuters quoted him as saying.
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| The LTTE targetted Sri Lanka’s main international airport and the adjoining military base in July 2001, destroying 13 aircrafts. Photo Sena Vidanagama / AFP / Getty Images |
Separately, in a meeting with Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar in Killinochchi Thursday, Mr. Tamilselvan pointed out that the Sri Lankan government was spending aid money received from donor countries on projects supporting Sri Lanka's military infrastructure, including construction of roads in militarily strategic areas.
The 2-day Norwegian visit, described by the ambassador as routine, came following a long break due to the Sri Lankan government blocking foreign diplomats from visiting the LTTE leadership in the Vanni.
During the meeting, Mr. Tamilselvan told the Norwegian delegation of the Tamil people’s disillusionment with the donor co-chairs for failing to exert pressure on the Sri Lankan state on fundamental humanitarian issues that are critically affecting their day-to-day lives.
“Denial of basic humanitarian needs requires equal and urgent attention, besides addressing selected human rights violations by the Sri Lankan state” TamilNet reported Mr. Tamilselvan as telling Mr Brattskar.
The LTTE political wing leader was reported to have cited key issues affecting the Tamil people, including the continued closure of the A9 highway, the only land route to Jaffna peninsula, the resettlement of tens of thousands of internally displaced refugees in the East, and the establishment of a new High Security Zone designed to evict Tamils from their traditional areas in Trincomalee as some of the serious grievances the co-chairs have failed to take up with Sri Lanka.
In the interview to Reuters, Mr. Tamilselvan said the Tigers had no faith in a bid to forge a consensus devolution proposal for minority Tamils through the All Party Representative Committee (APRC).
“After closing all the avenues for the other party to participate in meaningful negotiations, the government inviting (us) to attend talks is meaningless,” Mr. Tamilselvan said.
He further ruled out peace talks with President Rajapakse, saying his regime, disregarding the ceasfire agreement in place, has captured LTTE administered regions in the eastern province through military offensives which saw tens of thousands of Tamils being displaced due to indoctrinate aerial and artillery bombardment.
“Peace is not possible with this president, because during this president's term we find a euphoria, celebration, jubilation over the so-called victory in the east. Under such a person peace is not always possible.”
Referring to the announcement by the Sri Lankan government of plans to celebrate the capture of Thoppigala jungles west of Batticaloa town in Colombo on July 19, Mr. Tamilselvan said it would not last very long.
“We can only say that Thoppigala and the jungles the government is now gloating about as if they had captured a new country or a state or something like that, is not going to last very long.”
“Let the Tamil people live in their traditional homeland,” Mr. Tamilselvan said.
“Leave the Tamil people without any military occupation or persecution. That will be the day when there is no war.”
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