Govt will win both NE war and economic war - WP Chief Minister

M. M. Abeysinghe, Kuliyapitiya Group Corr.

KULIYAPTIYA: The LTTE is isolated among the international community and the Tamil community since it was proved that it is not representing the Tamil community. Under such circumstances we are optimistic that President Mahinda Rajapaksa would be able to make an end to the 20-year-old conflict and win the economic war too, Chief Minister Western Provincial Council Reginald Cooray said.

He was speaking at the SLFP political seminar held in Kuliyapitiya Town Hall recently organised by the Kuliyapitiya SLFP Central Organisation.

The Chief Minister pointed out that since the signing of Ranil-Prabha Ceasefire Agreement the LTTE had violated its provisions for 3667 times, but we did nothing in retaliation except complaining to the Monitoring Missions. As the latter too were helpless, they only declared that the acts and incidents violate the CFA.

However Mavil Aru conflict was a landmark in this war. Since LTTE deprived about 50,000 Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim people of water for cultivation and for day to day needs violating their fundamental human rights the Government had to take a decision. Accordingly limited counter operation was launched to open the sluice gates, he said.

It is pity that a leader of a political party quoting the Lord Buddha's words queried, "what is more valuable - water or the lives of the people." We are well aware that the lives of the people are more valuable, that was the main reason for launching the Mavil Aru operation. People would die for want of water unless they were provided with water.'

He said, after the Mavil Aru conflict the whole world realised the true nature of the LTTE as they would use innocent people as a shield to achieve their ends. They had interpreted our patience as a weakness. We are nor cowards neither war mongers as LTTE. But if we are attacked we would launch counter attacks. Now the LTTE is isolated. No country in the world support them. In addition USA, UK, European Commission, India and Australia had banned it. No country would sell weapons to them.

Our stance on the ethnic conflict is not war but a political solution through negotiations. It is only LTTE that waged war to separate the country. That would never be allowed. We are aware that no victory could be achieved through blood shed.

The President Mahinda Rajapaksa as a true democrat and a human right activist never resort to war but he will never betray the country, he said.

The economic growth of the country had reached to 6.7 p.c. in first six months in 2006 amidst the war. The Minister of Rural Industries and Self Employment Promotion S. B. Nawinna said that whenever SLFP came to power more attention was paid for the uplift of the living standards of the rural masses. So SLFP had become their life blood.

Wayamba Chief Minister Athula Wijesinghe said that Kuliyapitiya was claimed as a UNP stronghold between 77 and 94.

However due to the determination and dedication of the Party activists it had turned into an SLFP stronghold now. Even from 1947 to 1965 UNP was defeated at every successive election in Kuliyapitiya. From 1947 to 1960 late Minister Iriyagolla won the Dandagamuwa seat with the support of the left movement.

North Western Provincial Councillor R.P.D. Gunadasa also spoke.