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Colombo plea on arms

COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan military has urged the “public” in the eastern province to handover unauthorised firearms, if any, in their possession before July 2, even as Thissa Vitharana, who heads the All Parties Representative Conference (APRC), invited the United National Party, Janatha Vimukthi Perumana, the LTTE faction led by Pillayan, Hela Urumaya, the pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance and all other parties to join the forum to resolve the ethnic crisis. The APRC was constituted by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2006 to assist in forging a political solution to the ethnic conflict. However, it virtually became an all-government parties’ conference after the UNP and the JVP walked out.

On the call to the public in the east to give up illegal arms, the Defence Ministry said authorities in the eastern Muslim-dominated Katthankudy town told a gathering such delivery would help security forces maintain law and order.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) produced TNA Vanni District MP Sathasivam Kanagaratnam before court and alleged the MP had assisted the LTTE. Mr. Kanagaratnam was arrested by the CID while he was with people who had come from uncleared areas. He was trapped in Mullaithivu for several months. In another development, the European Commission announced it had allocated €5 million to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to the war displaced.

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