Tigers attacked diplomats to stall N-E development - Defence Spokesman

Rafik Jalaldeen

COLOMBO: The LTTE has started targeting the diplomatic community fearing that international humanitarian and development assistance to the North- East and subsequent improvement in the quality of life of the Tamil people would drive the latter away from the outfit, Defence Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said.

Addressing a media conference in Colombo, the Minister said the fact that certain Ambassadors were on a humanitarian mission in the East to make a development assessment for the region may have prompted the LTTE to target these envoys in a bid to retain their stranglehold on the people.

Rejecting the LTTE position that the outfit was unaware of the visit of the diplomats to the East and where the Government was blamed for negligence of their security, Rambukwella said this was the usual practice of the LTTE - denying involvement after committing atrocities.

“They even fired artillery towards local and foreign journalists

who went to cover events in Muhamalai Jaffna and denied it,” the Minister said.

Three aircraft carrying Disaster Management and Human rights Mahinda Samarasinghe, several Ambassadors and NGO officials came under 120mm artillery fire in Eastern Batticaloa. The diplomats narrowly escaped being hit.

“The LTTE deliberately targeted the diplomats to prevent humanitarian aid and development assistance provided by the international community reaching the Tamil people”.

He said the real motive of attempting to kill Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe, foreign diplomats and NGO workers is obvious. “The Security Forces are strategically advancing to liberate the civilians from the LTTE clutches. More than 3,000 civilians managed to flee the uncleared areas and entered the cleared areas. The Tamil civilians have lost confidence in the LTTE and are distancing themselves from the outfit,” the Minister said.

The ire of the LTTE was growing towards the civilians. When the International Community realises the situation of the civilians in the East, foreign assistance will be flowing for development. This is anathema to the LTTE who project themselves as the protectors of the Tamil community, the Minister noted.

“It (the Batticaloa incident) is a clear indication that the LTTE wants to block International assistance to prevent development reaching the civilians who had been living under their grip,” Minister Rambukwella said.

He said the Government needs the assistance of the international community to develop the East effectively and provide a better standard of life for the civilians. “It is to make an assessment of the development that the diplomatic delegation left for the East,” Minister Rambukwella said.

“There is no doubt that the attack was pre-planned,” Minister Rambukwella said adding that if the LTTE had received 10 calls from Colombo to Kilinochchi at the time an attempt was made on the life of the Defence Secretary and the successful attempt on Major General Parami Kulatunga why could not they get information about the arrival of the diplomats.

“The LTTE in their usual manner after 10 years will claim responsibility for attempting to assassinate the diplomats as they did in connection with the Rajiv Gandhi killing,” he added.