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Sri Lanka's four Mahanayakas in a letter to President Chandrika Kumaratunga have urged the government not to hold talks with the LTTE but to crush the terrorists militarily. President's
Secretary K. Balapatabendi assured the Mahanayakas who handed over a petition
at the President Secretariat on Wednesday that a meeting with the
President would be arranged soon to discuss proposed constitutional
reforms and the Norwegian involvement in the peace effort. The
petition was signed by prelates of Malwatte, Asgiriya, Amarapura and
Ramanna Nikayas as part of a new campaign launched by Sinhala groups
against proposed Norwegian facilitation of talks with the Tigers, amidst escalating LTTE attacks on innocent civilians. The
Mahanyakas in their letter released to the press on Thursday said,
"It is our conviction that what prevails in this country is a Tamil
racist terrorism and not an "ethnic" problem. This has been
launched by a group of Tamil terrorists against the State. This terrorism,
and not the Sinhala people or the government, is the sole problem
confronting the Tamil people in this country today. In this situation the
only solution is to use the power of the state to crush terrorism and
firmly establish the writ of government and law and order throughout the
country". "Norway
takes the foremost place amongst the countries sponsoring Tamil terrorism
from its very inception. Moreover, we believe that the involvement of a
foreign party for the purpose of negotiations would finally result in the
intervention of foreign armies in the internal affairs of this country.
There would then be a major threat both to our independence and national
security as well as to the entire South Asia region. The experience of
previous negotiations is that discussions with the LTTE is a futile
exercise". Prof.
Dharmavihari, the Director of the International Buddhist Research and
Information Institute said at the press conference held by members of the
Maha Sangha on Thursday that the Maha Sangha rejects the myth that Buddhist
monks of Sri Lanka are militant and anxious to perpetrate the war.
"There is no one more peace loving than the Buddhist community. This
is not an ethnic war, we have to stop this carnage by terrorists and
introduce a sober level of thinking," he said. The Maha
Sangha said that Norway is already interested in the LTTE and its
involvement in countries like Rwanda and the repercussions of such
involvements should be taken into account. On
Friday, Constitutional Affairs Minister G.L. Perirs met Mahanayake Theras
of the Asgiriya and Malwatte Chapters of the Siyam Nikaya and held
discussions concerning the recent developments in efforts to bring about a
political settlement of the ethnic conflict. The Minister had briefed the
two Mahanayakas regarding the role of Norway in the peace process towards
a resumption of negotiations with the LTTE. He had also outlined the
progress of the dialogue between the government and the UNP regarding
constitutional reform and a common platform for future peace negotiations. According
to political observers the pressure on the government began to escalate
after the LTTE attack in Rajagiriya confirmed that the LTTE abhor the
peace process. "The people have now lost confidence in peace from the
end of the LTTE. They know that the terrorists are taking advantage of
government's generosity and patience towards finding a settlement to end
the war".
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