TNA leader Sampanthan made a special statement in Parliament about attacks targeting TNA members and meetings, and the complicity of the Sri Lankan security forces in violence in the North.

Sampanthan asked the Speaker to observe that:

"the common feature of all these attacks is that they have been carried out by or with the connivance of the security forces and the police and even though the assailants were identifiable, no arrests have been made. These are also carried out under the watchful eyes of the police. This is clearly indicative of the complicity of the authorities."

Concluding his statement Sampanthan said:

"These attacks on the democratic rights of the Tamil People of the freedom of association, freedom of opinion and freedom of expression in the North and East are clearly carried out with the active support, sanction and collusion of the Sri Lankan government. They are a vain and counterproductive attempt to suppress and persecute Tamils for their political aspirations. We call on the Sri Lankan government to immediately cease the violence directed against the Tamil People. We reiterate that to prevent a non-recurrence of the past, Sri Lanka must expeditiously commence a meaningful and genuine process of reconciliation based on the ascertainment of the truth, ensuring justice and providing adequate reparations for the victims of violations committed by all parties."

Responding to Sampanthan, Prime Minister D M Jayaratna pointed to internal clashes within the TNA being a possible cause of such attacks and suggested that the TNA should not cite the security forces as the source of all violent incidents in the North.

See the Island for the full text of Sampanthan's speech.