The leader of the Transitional Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) and former legal adviser to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) V Rudrakumaran questioned the motives of recent talks held between Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera and select Tamil representatives.
Drawing on previous experiences in political negotiations with the Sri Lankan government and questioning the timing of the talks, Mr Rudrakumaran said,
“The present government is to be a short lived one with parliamentary elections likely to happen soon. Nothing much will eventuate in terms of long term outcomes for Tamils with this interim government structure. Therefore, the urgency surrounding these talks brings up questions whether the talks are genuinely in the interest of the Tamils.”
Commenting on the official explanations given for such talks, the New York based lawyer, said,
“When the parties to the talks are hiding even the identity of the participants from the international community at talks, one begins to doubt truthfulness of their assertion about what was discussed there.
Mr Rudrakumaran added that if the talks where about meeting the immediate needs of the Tamil people, they could have been held in the North-East with representatives on the ground.
Elaborating on the need for consent of the Tamil people, Mr Rudrakumaran noted that doubts have been expressed regarding if these talks actually represent the official positions of the Tamil national Alliance (TNA) and the Global Tamil Forum (GTF).
“When launching into talks of this kind, it is not only the subject matter of the talks that should be taken into account but also the timing of the talks, the motives of the parties to the talks, and who will gain more from entering into such talks. Whoever engages in talks on behalf of the Tamils should only speak from the perspective of Tamil interest,” he said.
Opposition questions government over GTF meet (12 June 2015)
TNA spokesperson denies knowledge of London meet (09 Jun 2015)
See also:
Sri Lanka's LLRC does not meet international standards - FCO (28 Jan 2014)
TNA rejects LLRC report, calls for international action (15 Jan 2012)
LLRC report through the eyes of the JHU (28 Dec 2011)
‘Responsibility now falls on the international community’ – ICG (23 Dec 2011)
LLRC report falls short - cross-party UK MPs (22 Dec 2011)
Russia praises LLRC report (28 Dec 2011)
After LLRC, British parliamentarians call for international investigation (22 Dec 2011)
TNPF demand international investigation into genocide (21 Dec 2011)
US has ‘concerns’ over LLRC (20 Dec 2011)
Human rights organisations slam report, urge world to act (18 Dec 2011)
No more excuses, it is time to act (18 Dec 2011)