LGSU welcomes President's bid for Southern consensus

by L. B. Wijayasiri in Kandy

The Lanka General Services Union (LGSU) in a memorandum addressed to President Mahinda Rajapakse states that the Union records its sincere appreciation to the President's endeavour to reach a Southern Consensus on the political resolution of the North-East conflict which has transformed into a shadow war.

The memorandum sent under the signature of President of the Union Jayaratne Maliyagoda adds 'however the LGSU notes with grave concern that due to the provocative statements made by certain political parties and the current impasse the situation of the North and East is sure to extend to rest of the country and particularly, the plantation areas.

"We as one of the trade unions which has close contact with the plantation community have reason to believe that due to the on-going cordon and search operations, which are conducted in an haphazard and humiliating manner, the plantation youth will be pushed towards acts of violence in the long run. Now we are having an experience in the North and East and need we have a repetition of it elsewhere?

In this situation of uncertainty, our Union is of the view that finding a political solution to the problem acceptable to the Tamil speaking people is a sine qua non. We trust Your Excellency as the head of the state will give a serious thought to the matter and take bold steps without giving into slogan maniacal chauvinist elements, in order to ensure that the human rights of all concerned are guaranteed."

Maliyagoda adds that he assures their fullest cooperation to the President in the latter's untiring effort to restore normalcy in the country and in that context, if they were entrusted with any task, they would be gladly executing it.