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Voters will reject LTTE: Rajapaksa

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said he had no doubt voters in the east were not “shortsighted” to give the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam an opportunity to make a comeback.

Addressing members and officials of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) at its annual convention here on Sunday, Mr. Rajapaksa “challenged” the opposition United National Party (UNP) to win the coming Eastern Provincial Council election “even with the assistance of the LTTE,” the local media reported.

Election to the Eastern Provincial Council is scheduled for May. Several mainstream parties including the UNP and the JVP are taking part. Nominations for the election close on April 3.

“It is treacherous that certain male and female leaders trot the globe tarnishing the image of Sri Lanka on human and fundamental rights. The modus operandi was to urge the European countries and the U.S. to withdraw the GSP+ trade concession given to Sri Lanka and thereby weaken the economy. By doing so they revenge millions of employees and the industry,” he told the conference.

“There were many detractors and whiners during the local government polls complaining [that] the time was not right and requested to postpone it. The heroic armed forces have been able to corner the LTTE to Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu. The LTTE was regrouped and strengthened during the ceasefire agreement (CFA) and installed 120 mm. and 155 mm canons as they had been given a free hand to do whatever they want under the CFA. The LTTE had even demarcated a separate state under the CFA,” he said.

“The government would never take back the steps it took to liberate the north from the jackboot of the LTTE. With the steady progress of the armed forces in the warfront the people in the north have begun gradually but surely to enjoy the taste of freedom. The prices of goods have drastically come down in Jaffna and in some instances prices of certain goods are lower than Colombo.”

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