Responding to attack on copter carrying Italian Deputy Foreign Minister:

Rein in the LTTE -Sangaree appeals to Int'l Community

TULF leader V. Anandasangaree yesterday reacting to the LTTE attack on an SLAF helicopter declared that the time had come for the International Community to take a very serious view of the fast deteriorating situation and urged for concerted action against the LTTE without any delay.

"Now that the child has started playing with fire the country can't just look on. This is a matter that the International Community too can't just ignore not because the Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Margerita Bonvier had a narrow shave with death but also because the repercussions are going to be beyond ones imagination."

He observed that the attack also demonstrated that the LTTE leader had lost control over his cadres and if allowed to grow will end up in further chaos.

Issuing a media release, Anandasangaree said:

"The news that a helicopter belonging to the Sri Lankan Air Force was hit by four rounds of small arms, comes as a great shock to every right thinking person all over the world. Now that the child has started playing with fire the country can't just look on.

This is a matter that the International Community too can't just ignore not merely because the Italian deputy Foreign Minister Ms. Margarita Bonvier had a narrow shave with death but also because the repercussions are going to be beyond ones imagination. The LTTE leader himself should take this as a warning for him.

Helicopters in our country are used for a number of purposes, a part for defence. It is used to assess damages caused by cyclone, floods, tsunami etc., to provide assistance for marooned people, to rescue people in distress and also to provide transport for LTTE leaders to and from the International Airport, to take them from Vanni to the East to attend funerals of their dead cadres and not least in importance, to airlift their injured cadre to Colombo for treatment.

If the LTTE in doing this in spite of the use of helicopters by them, then there is no doubt that the leader of the LTTE has lost control over the LTTE cadre and if allowed to grow will end up in future chaos.

The time has now come for the International Community to take a very serious view of the situation, fast developing in this country and take concerted action against the LTTE without any delay.

Our neighbouring India too cannot take this incident lightly. The Tamil Nadu Members of Parliament, if I am permitted to say although I should not interfere in their matters should not demand the pound of flesh from the Government to the extent of endangering India's security.

They should know of the ground situation in the North and East not only from the LTTE which is running a dictatorial rule, but from other Tamil leaders also, without holding the Indian Government to ransom, with their numerical strength.

Tamil Nadu leaders could not have forgotten how the LTTE shot down a passenger plane and killed 44 passengers and the entire crew.

At the same time I call upon the local political parties too, to loosen their grip on certain issues if there are any, and give a green signal unitedly to His Excellency the President who is on a State visit to India shortly, to enable him to consent to solve our ethnic issue based on the Indian pattern, which will facilitate the Indian authorities to satisfy the demands of the Tamil Nadu members and to prevent them from unwanted interference."