A pro-LTTE parliamentarian has underlined his party’s resolve for “autonomous rule” for Tamils in Sri Lanka, claiming that TNA’s support for opposition presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka was extended only after getting him to agree to those conditions.
K. Thurairetnasingam, a senior leader of the pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance, said his party had “no confidence” in the devolution of powers in the north based on the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution. He said his party will not deviate from its demand for an autonomous rule for Tamils in Sri Lanka.
“We do not want the 13th Amendment. We have no confidence in the 13th
Amendment,” Thurairetnasingam said, adding the party wanted an autonomous regime with all powers.
He said the TNA was extending its support to the opposition presidential candidate Fonseka for the January 26 polls only after getting him to agree to those conditions, according to the state-run Daily News.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa and former army general, who have been at loggerheads over who should claim credit for the military victory over Tamil Tiger rebels last May, are in a straight fight.
Rajapaksa has called the January 26 poll two years early to take advantage of his popularity following the defeat earlier this years of Tamil Tiger rebels that ended a decades-old ethnic conflict.
Thurairetnasingam told the state-owned Vasanthan FM, a Tamil Radio channel, that Fonseka had agreed to comply with all their conditions and the party signed an agreement with him covering these issues.
Thurairetnasingam claimed Fonseka and opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe had signed this agreement and their copies were sent to foreign representatives too, the state-run daily reported.
“We have already informed about this agreement to diplomats and the foreign governments,” he was quoted as saying by the radio channel.
“The President did not comply with our conditions and therefore this government should be overthrown,” the TNA leader said. The Sri Lankan lawmaker said TNA had asked the President to halt the military operations during the last phase of the civil war, but he had refused to do so.
However, the government said the method pursued by it to fulfil the aspirations of the Tamil people was vastly different from that of the TNA led by R. Sampanthan.
Priyadharshana Yapa, the Mass Media and Information Minister, said the TNA had tried to drive the Tamils onto the separatist path.
He said while the objective of President Rajapaksa was to liberate the Tamils from the grip of LTTE, the TNA always tried to drive them onto the separatist path with the influence of the LTTE.
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