National Anti-War Front officials to meet Thamilselvan

BY CHAMIKARA Weerasinghe

A team of officials from the National Anti-War Front will meet LTTE political wing leader S. P. Thamilselvan to discuss matters over the Trincomalee Buddha statue issue.

National Anti-War Front's Secretary Ven. Madampagama Assaji Thera told the Daily News that the LTTE had agreed to fix a date for the Front to meet with Thamilselvan on a request by the Front.

Ven. Assaji Thera said that his Front was planning to apprise the LTTE that they had taken an unwise subject to grapple with in a situation where many hardliners and extremists are trying to invent an issue to upset the mood for peace in the country in the South.

The Thera said that the LTTE should not fall into the trap of becoming the party responsible for upsetting peace with their attempts to remove the statue.

He said, "I am totally against the culture of having Buddha statues or images of any religion at road junctions."

The National Anti-War Front had meetings with Tamil People's Organisation, which is led by Vigneswaran, which has a direct involvement in the issue, in organising hartals demanding the removal of the statue, he said.

"We told them their decision was wrong", he said. "I have reason to believe that these were done purposely by some organised groups to incite the LTTE. It was best that the LTTE do not entertain them," he said.

"Besides, I have reasons to believe that there are sinister forces working behind these activities which try to separate people from their temples, " he said.

"Having religious images at every junction can keep you away from real places of worship where Bhikkhus and other religious leaders live," he explained.