World Alliance for Peace in Sri Lanka   

PO Box 4066, Mulgrave VIC 3170, Australia

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Media Release : Monday, 05 December 2005

http://www.spur.asn.au/WAPS_20051105_Protect_Unarmed_Civilians_North_and_East.htm

President Rajapakse Must Act to Protect the Lives of our Armed Forces and the Unarmed Innocent Civilians in the North and the East of Sri Lanka

BACKGROUND

The killing spree of the Tamil Tiger Terrorists continues unabated.  

WAPS condemns the atrocities carried out by the Tamil Tiger Terrorists, especially the killing of six soldiers in the Jaffna Peninsula today, and a series of assassinations carried out over the first weekend in December 2005.

The LTTE continues to wage its guerrilla war hiding behind the privileges granted to it by the Norway and Ranil Wickremasingha brokered Cease Fire Agreement (CFA). Killing and maiming members of the armed forces,  innocent Sinhala and Muslim civilians and Tamil poitical opponents  living in the East and the North of Sri Lanka continue on a daily basis. Putting aside the large number of ceasefire violations carried out by the LTTE since the signing of the CFA, let us look at their cowardly acts carried out over the last weekend. Their criminal acts include:

1.       Killing six army soldiers in Jaffna by using a Claymore mine to blow up a truck carrying food for soldiers

2.        Assassinating  Mr A.L.M Fallel, the Secretary of the Kanthanakudi Pradesheeya Saba for refusing to hand over Tsunami money to the LTTE

3.       Shooting dead Mr Wimalawansa (Loku Aiyya), as active member of the North East Sinhala Organoisation (NESO) in Trincomalee

4.       Kidnapping and murdering three Muslim cattle graziers for not paying protection money to the LTTE terrorists

5.       Attacking six bunkers by throwing hand grenades and killing one soldier in Jaffna.

6.       Shooting dead two Tamil youth in Jaffna for proving provisions for the army

7.       Gunning down 6 Muslim civilians in a Mosque in the East.

The total number of deaths caused by the LTTE over the weekend alone stands at 14. We must not forget that these dastardly acts are taking place whilst the CFA is in force and the so called SLMM lead by Norway is monitoring the ‘clayton's peace.

There seem to be two laws currently operating in the North and the East. One for the LTTE and one for all others including our heroic armed forces. It is a fact that the LTTE is involved in surreptitiously ethnically cleansing the Sinhales and the Muslims from Tamil dominated areas in the East. This includes the township of Trincomalee.Further, todate no effective action has been taken with regard

to the members of the army and the police force who were abducted by the LTTE.

PROPOSED ACTION

We urge the President and the new Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka to take decisive steps to protect all law abiding civilians and the courageous members of our armed forces operating in the North and the East of Sri Lanka. These steps have to be augmented by strictly adhering to all facets of the CFA, including cordon and search operations and pro-active strikes against LTTE cells and pistol killers operating illegally in Government controlled areas including Colombo.  

The past president Kumaratunga was made impotent by advisors warning her that it is best she ignores LTTE’s misdemeanours as a firm response may awaken the sleeping tiger. The 'dozing' tiger assassinated Hon Lakshman Kadiragamar with little punitive response.!

We urge President Rajapakase to take a more definitive stance as we believe that the criminal, Prabakaran, is testing President Rajapakse’s resolve to work towards establishing lasting peace, peace with dignity and honour for all.

Inaction by the President at this juncture will be seen by the LTTE as a measure of weakness.

We urge the President, his military advisors and the defence force leaders to take measured action proportionate to the dastardly acts carried out by the LTTE, to make the Tiger leader aware that his criminal acts cannot and will not go unpunished. We also urge the President to establish a committee headed by the armed forces with membership from Government servants and village elders to develop a strategy to minimise summary assassinations by the LTTE’s pistol gangs in the East.

There are no Sinhalese or Muslims in the North. The place remains ethnically cleansed by the LTTE.

We have to act before it is too late for the Sinhalese, Muslims and the law abiding Tamil people in the East. We cannot let the Tiger Terrorists cleanse them ethnically from the East of Sri Lanka. Our fellow citizens are crying out for help.

We have no recourse than but to appeal to the new President for decisive action.

Thank you,

Signed

Dr. D. Jayasuriya

President

Society for Peace Unity and Human Rights for Sri Lanka (SPUR)

Australia

President - Sri Lanka United National Association (SLUNA) of Canada

President - Society for Peace, Unity and Human Rights of Sri Lanka (SPUR), NSW, Australia

President - Western Australian Society for Peace Unity and Rehabilitation, (WASPUR) in Sri Lanka, Australia

President - Sri Lankans Against Terrorism- NSW, Australia

President - Sinhala Cultural and Community Services Foundation of Victoria, Australia

President - Apey Shakthi- New Zealand

Coordinator - Hela Muthu Ketaya, New Zealand

President - Canadian Association for United Sri Lanka-Canada

President - Sinhala Centre- United Kingdom

President - The International Campaign for the Liberation of the Sinhala Nation- United Kingdom

President - Sinhala Association of Sri Lankans in the United Kingdom

President - New York Society of United Sri Lankans-U.S.A

President - United Sinhalese Association in Italy- Rome, Italy

President - Pacific Alliance for Peace in Sri Lanka, Vic (National Office), Australia

President - Alliance Against Tamil Domination, United Kingdom

President - Veera Parakramabahu Foundation (VPF), NSW, Australia

President - First Society of Sri Lankan Professors in American Universities, United States of America

President - First Society of Sri Lankan Professionals in Japan, Japan

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  Sri Lanka urges international community to condemn the claymoremine attack by LTTE Tamil Tiger Terrorists)  

 Strongly condemning the claymore mine attack in Jaffna which killed six soldiers, the government of Sri Lanka today urged the international community to condemn such ''provocative acts'' by the LTTE. ''The government condemns in the strongest possible terms the killing of six army personnel in the claymore mine attack at Kondavil, in Jaffna...The attack has been carried out in blatant violation of the provisions of the ceasefire agreement. The government calls on the international community to condemn such terrorist acts, which place obstacles in the way of furthering the peace process,'' a government statement said this evening. The statement said the army personnel were '' engaged in non-offensive routine activities'' such as distributing food rations and mail to army detachments and security points in Jaffna at the time of the attack. ''At time when the new President has extended an invitation for the resumption of peace talks, such provocative acts by the LTTE demonstrate a lack of sincerity towards negotiations and political settlement,'' the statement added. The Defence Secretary had already met the head of the Nordic truce monitoring mission to express the government's deep concern and called for immediate measures on preventing similar incidents. Calling it a ''pre-planned terrorist attack'', the statement said the government will take all necessary steps to prevent such killings in the future. ''While the government expresses its sympathies and condolences to the families of the deceased army personnel and civilians, his excellency the President will appoint a three-member committee to submit a report on the situation in Jaffna,'' the statement declared

http://www.spur.asn.au/After_signing_the_so-called_JM.htm