Unite to Eliminate LTTE Terrorism

“Tamil Tiger Terrorists (LTTE) continue to assassinate democratically elected politicians in Sri Lanka. Whilst we urge President Rajapaksa's Government to use all means at its disposal to eliminate the LTTE terrorism from Sri Lanka, we also have a strong message to a number of other actors with interest in Sri Lanka including some treacherous NGO's dependent on LTTE's violence for their own existence.”
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by Dr Dasarath Jayasuriya

(April 08, Victoria, Sri Lanka Guardian) We are emphatically condemns the Tamil Tiger Terrorist's brutal assassination of Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, the Minister of Highways & Road Development in Sri Lanka. A devoted Catholic and a Tamil, the Hon Minister was the chief Government whip in the Parliament and at all times, an exemplary practitioner of democratic virtues and values. The Minister worked tirelessly to unite all communities in Sri Lanka and to demonstrate especially to the Tamil community, that their future was within a united Sri Lanka. He took a leadership role in demonstrating to the Tamil community that their future was not in a despotic, racist Tamil Eelam that is designed to enslave them in perpetuity.

Late Minister Fernandopulle's commitment to promote inter-religious harmony and unity amongst the Tamil and Sinhala communities were on display even on the day that the LTTE killed him. In the morning he had his breakfast at a near by Buddhist temple after visiting the chief monk Venerable Alubovila Dhammarathana. Subsequently he visited the Fernandopulle Asapuwa, a Buddhist residence built using his own funds at Henagama. Although a strong practicing Catholic, Minister Fernandopulle was well known for supporting Buddhist activities in and around his Kandana constituency.

Minister Fernandopulle has now paid with his life for embracing democracy and championing inter racial and inter religious harmony.

We are also condoles with the families of Sri Lanka's national athletics coach Lakshman de Alwis an Olympian and former Olympic marathon runner K.A. Karunaratne who were among those killed in the suicide bomb attack on Sunday when they were participating in this sports cum cultural event.

Tamil Tiger Terrorists (LTTE) continue to assassinate democratically elected politicians in Sri Lanka. Whilst we urge President Rajapaksa's Government to use all means at its disposal to eliminate the LTTE terrorism from Sri Lanka, we also have a strong message to a number of other actors with interest in Sri Lanka including some treacherous NGO's dependent on LTTE's violence for their own existence.

We are urges the:

• 1. International community: to be forthright in their condemnation of this brutal act against democracy and refrain from releasing glib statements that condemn the attack but avoid blaming the LTTE for dastardly acts. Nor would it be credible for requesting both parties to commit to peace talks when the LTTE continue to attack civilians, assassinate democratically elected parliamentarians and destroy places of religious worship such as the sacred Madu Church. Instead they should help Sri Lanka unconditionally to eradicate terrorism.
  
  2. UNP opposition: not to treat the death of the Minister as an opportunity for political gain. Unite with the President to exterminate the perpetrators of this terror. Questions were raised by the late Minster on Saturday whether the UNP in partnership with the LTTE friendly Muslim leader Hakeem was planning to remerge the North and the East of Sri Lanka and carve a separate ethnic landmass for some communal minded Muslims in the East. The UNP owes it to the people of Sri Lanka to dispel this thesis and the best way it can give currency is by emphatically condemning the LTTE and joining other parties to form a united front against LTTE terrorism
  
  3. INGO's and NGO's in Sri Lanka: to stop mollycoddling the LTTE and expose them for what they are by unreservedly condemning their actions. Some of these NGO's such as the National Peace Council, International Alert and Centre for Policy Alternative are quick off the trigger to condemn the Government (or at times even go to court) to garner support from their foreign donors. Often their condemnation of LTTE terrorism is glib, rarely identifying the perpetrator by name.
  
  4. Sri Lankan Diaspora: must unite to act as one against terrorism and have an acute awareness of the parasitic anti national elements living amongst them but working hand in glove with the LTTE. The Diaspora must work to expose these individuals who are working to destroy the sovereign Sri Lankan nation state by spreading malicious half-truths

Minister Fernandopulle and 12 others including national figures associated with athletics are no more. Their families will be the ones who feel their loss greatest. SPUR empathises with them at this time of national sorrow and sadness. Let us unite as one to defeat terrorism so that the loss of their lives will not be reduced to the annals of history as a distant statistic.

(The Writer is the President of Society for Peace, Unity and Human Rights in Sri Lanka (SPUR) based in Victoria.)

- Sri Lanka Guardian