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Tuesday, October 21, 2008 - 07.19 GMT |
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Govt responsible for the welfare of every
citizen - President |
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"Our primary responsibility as a government
is to look after all our citizens. I carry
out this responsibility to the fullest
especially with regard to the people who are
temporarily displaced in the North, due to
the ongoing military operations to defeat
terrorism. There is a wrong impression
created in Tamil Nadu that this not been
done. This is furthest from the correct
position. All these are our citizens and we
take every measure to look after and provide
for them."
So said President Mahinda Rajapaksa
addressing Sri Lankan media heads and
editors at Temple Trees today.
The President said there are inflated
figures of number of IDPs from the current
Wanni operations. He was aware that some
misconceptions were created by reports in
the Tamil newspapers which were under
pressure not to report the facts as they
were. He added that recently when the World
Food Programme (WFP) turned back a convoy of
essential supplies to IDPs because of damage
to a culvert, within two days the government
agencies had ensured that the supplies were
delivered. At present there are food
supplies for two months in the affected
areas where the IDPs are not more than
150,000.
"We continue to supply food even to the LTTE
because our responsibility is to the
civilians, the farmers and the rural
producers of the region who are trapped by
the LTTE," he said.
In response to a question President
Rajapaksa said that the friendly relations
between Sri Lanka and India remain very
strong. India had always helped us when
necessary and supported us in international
fora. He was aware of the political
pressures in India at the moment, especially
considering the reality of coalition
politics and the diverse interests that
surface in such situations.
In response to another question President
Rajapaksa said that in the telephone
conversation with the Indian Prime Minister
there was no reference to the stopping of
military operations against the terrorism of
the LTTE. He [the President] had made it
very clear that the operations were against
the LTTE.
President Rajapaksa said these were launched
when the LTTE attempted to extend its hold
on territory at Mavil Aru, Sampur and Muttur.
They did not understand the language of
negotiation. Therefore, the operations will
have to be continued on behalf of the
people. He had made this clear to India and
the international community.
President Rajapksa added that he did not
believe in duplicitous language but was very
frank in what he said. The international
community was not opposed to the defeat of
terrorism and those who sought to break up
this country.
Mr. Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan MP (Karuna
Amman) spoke of his 22-year relationship
with the LTTE and recalled his own training
in India with other militant groups after
1983. He had met Indian leaders together
with Prabhakaran, where they explained that
they are not supportive of separation but
supported devolution of power to regions. He
had discussed this with IPKF too. It was
Prabhakaran who broke the understanding with
India, resuming war and not stopping at that
proceeded to kill Rajiv Gandhi in India.
He said that one could understand the Tamil
people of Tamil Nadu been supportive of the
Tamil people here, but this should not be
support for the LTTE. If they do so they
will soon face different problems in Tamil
Nadu through the LTTE. He asserted that
Prabakaran was not for any political
solution.
President Rajapaksa had already begun
implementing the 13 Amendment which was
proposed by India. The East had been
liberated from terror and the need there was
for developement. With his experience in the
Wanni, he was aware that the people in the
North too wanted freedom and development as
in the East. In seeking development we
should win the hearts and minds of the
Sinhalese and other communities. If we ask
for police powers now it could lead to
suspicion, he said.
Mr. Muralitharan added that the military
operations in the Wanni could not be stopped
immediately. With his own experience in
fighting it was his understanding that India
could not bring an immediate stop to the
fighting in Cargil in the Kashmir dispute.
He said that if the Tamil Nadu government
and political parties there wish to support
the Tamil people, they could do so by
sending aid to them through the Sri Lankan
government.
Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama
explaining the recent developments in Tamil
Nadu said the recent activities there did
not reflect the policies of New Delhi. He
explained that in yesterday's incident at
Rameswaram involving persons from the film
industry, although the demonstrators had
shouted pro LTTE slogans including making a
hero of Prabhakaran, the police had
intervened to prevent the LTTE flag being
raised. This showed that although there were
pro LTTE politics in Tamil Nadu, the
official position was different. The IDPs in
Sri Lanka were been used as a tool to
putting pressure on New Delhi. The message
of New Delhi has been that it stands for the
rights of the Tamil people and against the
LTTE.
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa in
response to a question said operations in
Wanni were going ahead satisfactorily and in
keeping with the overall strategy of the
military.
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