The Hindu : International : Prabakaran asks new MPs to work towards interim set-up

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 21, 2004

International

International

Prabakaran asks new MPs to work towards interim set-up

By V.S. Sambandan

COLOMBO, APRIL 20 . The leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), V. Prabakaran, today asked the newly-elected MPs from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to work towards getting an interim administration for the Tamil-majority northeast.

At a meeting with the 22 MPs-elect who would represent the LTTE-backed TNA in the 225-member Parliament, Mr. Prabakaran also said that the Tigers were awaiting the arrival of the Norwegian facilitators to initiate resumption of the peace process, political sources, who attended the two-hour meeting, said.

The LTTE leader also told the MPs that his group's `sole representative' status was endorsed by the people at the April 2 parliamentary poll.

According to TNA sources, no decision has been taken as yet by the party on the election of the Speaker in the new Parliament. The TNA's vote on the Speaker's position gains significance as the Opposition United National Party (UNP) has decided to field a candidate for the position. According to current indications, a decision is to be taken tomorrow after discussions with the LTTE's political leadership.

Two other MPs-elect, P. Chandrasekaran from the Upcountry People's Front and Mano Ganesan from the Western Province People's Front, also met Mr. Prabakaran separately today and said they would work with the TNA in Parliament.

With today's meeting, a total of 24 MPs-elect have formally endorsed the LTTE's stand, signalling the Tamil nationalist component in the Sri Lankan Parliament. The MPs-elect also agreed to "meet the LTTE leadership regularly in future and decide on the working programme." Tamil political sources described today's meeting as "very cordial" which touched upon a range of issues.

The eastern crisis after the split and expulsion of the former Special Commander for Batticaloa-Amparai, V. Muralitharan, was described by Mr. Prabakaran as "a small problem, which has been sorted out," the sources said.

Though the eastern rebellion by Mr. Muralitharan has been neutralised by the LTTE, an elected MP from Batticaloa, Kingsley Rasanayagam, who had backed the former military commander, has handed over his resignation to the TNA.

He is to be replaced by the person next on the list of candidates.

In addition to Mr. Prabakaran, the LTTE's political wing leader, S. P. Tamilchelvan, its intelligence wing head, Pottu Amman, the head of the rebel police, B. Nadesan, the head of the finance wing, S. Tamilendhi, and other military commanders were present at the two-hour meeting, which was held at the LTTE's political headquarters in northern rebel-held Kilinochchi town.

Monks' charge

AP reports:

A group of influential Buddhist monks on Tuesday accused the Sri Lankan Government of a "great betrayal,'' by failing to exploit a split in the LTTE.

"It was a historic opportunity to use the break-up in the LTTE to eliminate terrorism,'' Omalpe Sobitha, a monk told reporters.

He is a top official of the National Heritage Party, the country's first party led by the Buddhist clergy, which won nine decisive seats at the April 2 parliamentary election.

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