Anti-war Front supports LTTE under peace banner - JHU

Chamikara Weerasinghe

COLOMBO: The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) Thursday charged the Anti-War Front as supporting the LTTE under the banner of peace.

Referring to Thursday's rally staged by the front at Viharamahadevi Park, JHU Propaganda Secretary Nishantha Warnasinghe said: "What we cannot understand is that why these so-called anti-war protestors always make their demonstrations in Colombo, and not in the North and East, in areas like Muttur, Mulaithivu or Seruwila, where war crimes take place in abundance carried out by the LTTE.

"Where were these so-called anti-war people, Anti-War Front's Kumar Rupasinghe, Free Media Movement's Sunanda Deshapriya, National Left Front's Wickramabahu Karunaratne, Mano Ganeshan of the Western People's Front, Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu of Center for Policy Alternatives, Sunila Abeysekara, the anti-war activists of Hiru Group, Seva Lanka and Sarvodaya, when the LTTE was killing security personnel."

"These people's anti-war feeling was not to be aroused when lives of 750 unarmed security personnel aboard "Pearl Cruiseship" were on the verge of being killed in the sea by the LTTE suicide cadres," he pointed out.

"They did not turn up when LTTE deprived 15,000 civilians of water at Seruwila.

"They have ignored massive war crimes committed by the LTTE," he said.

They did not turn up with anti-war slogans when the LTTE massacred 250 Muslim civilian in Muttur or when they killed 120 civilians in Muhamalai front-line, he said.

The LTTE had killed 100 soldiers within two weeks after the ascent of President Mahinda Rajapaksa who offered to have talks with the LTTE to end the conflict, he said.

"These so-called anti-war demonstrators did not voice their commitment for peace against the war all these times."

"As a rule, these activists do not come up when the LTTE was attacking the civilians and security personnel of Sri Lankan Forces," he pointed out.

They come with anti-war slogans this time when the LTTE is facing setbacks. They as always raise their voice against war whenever the LTTE is facing military setbacks, he said.

"We vehemently condemn their behaviour at the Viharamahadevi Park where they had attacked Buddhist monks with clubs and had abused them with indecent words.

"Their act signifies that they are on a role to demoralise the Sri Lankan Army thus supporting the LTTE indirectly," he pointed out.

"We regret these so-called anti-war demonstrators do all these things just to increase their income without any regard for the country's sovereign and territorial integrity," he added.