North East crisis internal problem - JHU

COLOMBO: The Jathika Hela Urumaya General Secretary Ven. Omalpe Sobhitha Thera, in a media release yesterday expressed the JHU displeasure over the recent statement made by American Ambassador in Sri Lanka, Robert Blake to the Indo Asian News Service that the LTTE separatist terrorism cannot be defeated by waging war and therefore the Sri Lankan Government should even reluctantly go for a political solution to end the North East problem in the country.

Ven. Sobhitha Thera, in his media release emphatically reminded the US Ambassador that he must firstly remember that the North East crisis is precisely an internal problem of Sri Lanka and that it is highly unethical and undiplomatic for a foreign country to interfere and suggest solutions which is entirely within the purview of the Government concerned.

The JHU media release vehemently condemned the US Ambassador's statement belittling the capacity of the Sri Lankan Government and its Security Forces and pointed out the American military intervention to contain terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq that cost thousands and thousands of lives in both countries in addition to loss of lives of American soldiers.

In the circumstances, the JHU media release urged the American Ambassador respectfully to restrain from interfering with the internal problems of Sri Lanka and also reminded the wounds caused to foreign diplomats as a result of the Mortar attacks lunched by the LTTE at Batticaloa Tuesday morning to understand the true nature of the LTTE Separatists. It also wished speedy recovery to the injured as a result of this attack.