Media Release
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Society for Peace, Unity and Human Rights in Sri Lanka (SPUR) Reg No. A 003 07777 M PO Box 4066 Mulgrave VIC 3170 Australia Email : Public Officer : Spokesperson : Webmaster |
Ph: +61 3 9548 0276 Fax: +61 3 9548 0276
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Wednesday, 29 September 2004
The
assassination of Somasundaram Warnakulasingam a member of the EPDP central
committee in Wellawatte, the heart of Colombo, brings to 167 the number of
EPDP members killed by the LTTE since the present ceasefire agreement came
into effect in April 2002. These killings, in addition to gross
violation of the ceasefire agreement, are violations of Sri Lankan and
international law, democracy, morality and basic human decency.
It
is apparent from these assassinations in government controlled areas that
security arrangements in place are woefully inadequate to contain the killing
spree of the LTTE assassination squads. Therefore we request the Sri Lankan
government to fulfill its’ responsibility of providing security to all
its’ citizens by taking what ever measures necessary to maintain law and
order. Promises given by the government to the general public stating that
security will be improved after earlier assassinations and assassination
attempts by the LTTE need to be matched by deeds. The public has the right to
question the Government’s competency for providing a safe and secure
environment for it citizens. The Government should take note that its’
primary responsibility is towards its’ citizens and not towards the
appeasement of the LTTE terrorists and its’ many front organizations. The
UNF opposition which signed the one-sided ceasefire agreement (when it was in
government) that forced non-LTTE Tamil groups who have eschewed violence and
entered parliamentary democratic politics such as the EPDP, to hand over
weapons used for self-defense without imposing similar conditions on the LTTE,
must also be held partly accountable for these assassinations.
We
urge the Sri Lankan government to strongly request from countries that have
got involved in the peace process such as the EU, Japan, Thailand, India, UK,
USA, Canada, Australia along with Norway to bring genuine pressure to bear on
the LTTE to immediately cease the killings of its’ political opponents and
to strictly abide by the ceasefire agreement. The LTTE should be reminded that
they are a banned terrorist organization in many democratic countries and
privileges and freedom that they temporarily enjoy in
Most
of all, the LTTE must be told that a single killing of any civilian in the
future, especially members of Tamil political parties such as EPDP would
immediately result in decisive counter action beginning with the cessation of
further dialogue and contact by the Sri Lankan Government and the
international community with the LTTE.
It
is time to pull out the sledge hammer as tickling the tigers belly with a
feather seems ineffective.
Dr
Dasarath Jayasuriya
President
Society
for Peace, Unity and