"To us
all towns are one, all men our kin. |
Home | Whats New | Trans State Nation | One World | Unfolding Consciousness | Comments | Search |
Tamilnation > Struggle for Tamil Eelam > Conflict Resolution - Tamil Eelam - Sri Lanka > Norwegian Peace Initiative > Ceasefire Agreement & Lifting of Ban on LTTE > Lanka now Norway's Colony says JVP
Lanka now Norway's colony says JVP
Sinhala Owned Sri Lanka Mirror, 1 March 2002
The JVP yesterday held a mass protest rally against the
ceasefire agreement between the government and the LTTE claiming it was an
agreement of submission, and had betrayed the interest of the country.
More than 10,000 people from all parts of the country gathered at Nugegoda
junction to take part in this meeting where a message by the party's leader
Somawansa Amarasinghe was read out.
The JVP leader in his message said
with the government consenting to the agreement drafted by Norway, Sri Lanka had
virtually become a colony of that country. Claiming that Prime Minister Ranil
Wickremesinghe had signed the agreement secretly, without the knowledge of
President Chandrika Kumaratunga and his cabinet colleagues, Mr. Amarasinghe said
it had created further disparities which were the root cause of the present war.
While one part of the country was ruled by a legitimate government, the other
part had been officially handed over to an armed gang.
Instead of looking
at ways of unifying the various ethnic groups in the country the government had
made the people of all ethnicities to bow down before the LTTE.
"Even if the
people fail to defeat the government's attempts to divide the country, we as
future rulers will unify the country with the Tamil Eelam which the Prime
Minister plans to concede to LTTE. We will rule the country from a middle path
and eliminate all differences and divisions", he said.
Launching a
scathing attack on Norway and other western countries saying they were
practising double standards, Mr. Amarasinghe questioned why they expect only Sri
Lanka to bow down before the LTTE's terrorism while they are on a worldwide
military and opinion campaign against terror. Many European countries were now
trying to form unions and some use common currencies. If unity is strength, will
disunity not be weakness, he asked.
"We are neither prepared to be
weakened by separation nor to kill each other over borders, water rights and so
many other things". If the UNP had the right to have protests such as 'Jana Bala
Meheyuma' to oust a government which was elected for six years, the people had
the right to protest against the agreement which he claimed had been brought
even without the knowledge of the President and Parliament, elected by the
people.
Although the Prime Minister had promised to have a
countrywide referendum seeking the approval of the people for the final
solution, how will government which is unable to have the local government
elections in the North East will have the referendum there, he queried. The
policy of the UNP on referenda were amply evident in former President J. R.
Jayewardene's failing to keep to his promise to have a referendum on the North
East merger one year after the Indo-Lanka Accord signed in 1987.
Every
clause in the agreement had been drafted in favour of the LTTE. Without sheding
a drop of blood or wasting one round of ammunition they are able to effectively
control their armed political rivals. Consequences of this agreement could even
threaten the stability of the South Asian region, he said.
General
Secretary Tilvin Silva said the ceasefire agreement too could be added to the
lists of accords which the Sinhala kings had with colonialists in the country's
history which eventually led to colonialism.
Through the agreement the government forces and the LTTE had
been kept on par, the LTTE was no longer an illegal or a terrorist army. There
were no provisions to prevent smuggling of arms. Even the clause with regard to
the withdrawal from schools and religious places would be applicable only to the
government forces since they were the ones who had set up mini-camps there to
protect the Palaly Base, he said.
The agreement said there should be no
kidnapping, extortion etc., in keeping with international laws. This law was
normally applicable specially when two sovereign countries reached an agreement.
This might even lead to the international recognition of Tamil Eelam which was
the thirst of the Tigers.
Parliamentarians Vijitha Herath, Ramalingam
Chandrasekaran and Wimal Weerawansa also spoke. A copy of the ceasefire document
was burnt as a mark of protest.