PM has become prime target of LTTE - Mangala

by Manjula Fernando

UPFA Presidential campaign coordinator Minister Mangala Samaraweera yesterday expressed fears for the life of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse who he said has become a prime target of the LTTE.

Citing an LTTE website which carried a picture of the Premier with Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh with the question "Will Mahinda Rajapakse celebrate his birthday this year?," Minister Samaraweera said this was a clear indication that there is an attempt on his life. Rajapakse turns 60 on November 18.

The Minister was speaking at the weekly UPFA media conference at the SLFI yesterday. He pointed out the same LTTE run Tamil language website showed a similar item, a face shot of the former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, framed within a sniper's target days before his assassination by a LTTE sniper.

"We are deeply concerned and going by the past experiences, take this as a serious threat by the LTTE," he stressed. "It is certainly not a 'joke'."

Senior Ministers of the Government will be meeting Colombo based diplomats from today to appraise them of the situation and to exert pressure on the LTTE to prevent such a 'ghastly deed'.

Minister Samaraweera said the International Community was the only weapon the LTTE was scared of. "They fear international sanctions."

He stressed it was futile being wise after the event. He also warned that if the slightest harm comes to their candidate they will hold the LTTE leader and the UNP candidate personally responsible for it. "The LTTE assassinated all the past UNP candidates who posed a threat to Ranil Wickremesinghe," the Minister said.

"In 1993, President Premadasa was assassinated and in 1994 Gamini Dissanayake. "Their was an attempt on President Kumaratunga's life in which she escaped narrowly.

"Now they are attempting to kill the Prime Minister," he said.

The Minister also called upon the Opposition Leader to state his views on this threat by the LTTE.