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Jaffna special correspondent

The EPDP took bold measures to safeguard the Jaffna people when some so called prominent Tamil parties engaged in `press release politics' from Colombo, said EPDP Jaffna candidate S. Thavaraja.

Addressing a meeting in Kayts he said:

"It is the EPDP that put an end to the extortion of money from traders by TELO, PLOTE and EPRLF organisations. The Tamil parties that shout in platforms and release press reports regarding the pathetic state of Vanni people are the very parties that levy tax on goods sent from Colombo to Vanni. Their rate of tax levy is shocking. The LTTE, TELO and PLOTE charge Rs. 5 for a kilogram of any commodity sent to Vanni. EPRLF charges Rs. 2. The taxes collected are now spent on election posters and cut outs. The tax levying practice would have spread to Jaffna too if not for the firm footing of EPDP in Jaffna."

Thavarajah further said that it was ten years back that the EPDP set their foot in the Jaffna islands. At that time the people were in starvation. We gave them food and shelter.

We have been living with them since then as members of one family. Kayts is our fortress and the voters are our kinsmen. We have been their god father and we are held in their fond embrace in prosperity and adversity.

He said that the TULF had so far played only negative politics. They opposed the budget but we supported it and made use of the money allocated in the budget to develop Jaffna. The deserted and devastated Jaffna is today beaming with bright lights and dazzling with development projects. The people are showering praises on us for redeeming them from the grip of tax leviers and bullion collectors.

He said that there were nine Tamil Parliamentarians, five from the TULF, three from TELO and one from Tamil Congress. If they had placed their demands before the government and supported the government they could have amicably solved the ethnic problem. Instead they caught the tail end of Ranil's coat and took photographs with him.

The JVP with ten members had been able to get things done in the way they wanted.

Couldn't the so-called United Tamil Alliance leaders bargained the way JVP did, he asked. In lighter vein he said even if they are served with chicken buriyani they don't know how to eat it.

He said, that the daughter of LTTE leader Prabakaran had passed the GCE (OL) examination with ten distinctions including English literature, and that too in an educationally backward area like Vanni. Prabakaran wants his children to study English Literature and imbibe the essence of the works of Shakespeare. But he wants name boards written in pure Tamil. 'Bakery' is a word known even to a small child. Now his men had wanted the word bakery written in nameboards changed as 'Vethupagam'.

LTTEers are permitting their children to sit for the GCE (OL) examination conducted by their enemy - the government. If they do not want any truck with their enemy, then Prabakaran should not have allowed his daughter to sit for the examination conducted by the enemy. Whom are they trying to fool he questioned.

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