Deputy UNP Leader calls for end to violence

DEPUTY Leader of the United National Party and Member of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya in a statement says:

"We wholeheartedly condemn the recent killings of the Navy personnel at Pesalai and the Intelligence Office in Nuwara Eliya, by the LTTE, while they were engaged in their legitimate duties, without any provocation.

Also it is with deep shock and sorrow that we learnt of the assassination of Joseph Pararajasingham MP for Batticaloa.

His wife too was critically wounded while they were at the Holy Mass on the Christmas Eve. We wish to remind the parties involved in these senseless and brutal killings, that it is not the way to settle problems in a democratic society.

All these victims have been involved in serving the country. Mr. Pararajasingham had been a long standing member of the Parliament and had served the country and particularly the Tamil community with a sense of dedication and commitment upholding democratic traditions.

He had been an ardent proponent of the idea of a negotiated settlement to the national issue and shunned violence vehemently. His assassination certainly creates a unbridgeable void in the democratic process.

We express our deepest sympathies to Mr. Pararajasingham's family, families of the dead soldiers and the family of the officer of the National Intelligence Service. We urge the Government to bring the deteriorating security in the country under control and strengthen security at this critical juncture."