Prabhakaran slammed for blocking civilian entry to cleared areas
Manjula Fernando
UK: TULF Leader V. Anandasangaree said the LTTE leader who had
killed more Tamils than anyone else had no moral right to proclaim
himself as the leader of the Tamil people.
Speaking at a commemorative meeting to remember the late Kethesh
Loganathan, organised by the Sri Lanka Democracy Forum, a Tamil
community organisation firmly opposed to the LTTE at the Conway Hall in
London, the TULF leader slammed the LTTE leader of blocking civilian
resettlement in the cleared east.
“The LTTE is now trying to prevent civilians from re-settling in
cleared areas.”
He said it was Prabhakaran’s wish to confine innocent civilians to
IDP camps so that he could exploit the situation to wage his profitable
war.
Pointing the finger at the LTTE for the killing of Loganathan, the
Peace Secretariat Deputy Chief, Anandasangaree said Prabhakaran’s
dictatorial rule despised independent views.
He said Kethesh stood for federalism and encouraged dialogue with the
Tigers but the LTTE did not want other members of the community to
express themselves independently.
The TULF leader’s speech was disrupted by an LTTE activist who tried
to insult him. This person identified as V. Chandrakanthan was
physically removed from the auditorium as he tried to interrupt his
speech continuously.
Anandasangaree said this was a typical manifestation of how the LTTE
deploys its members even in the UK to intimidate people and silence
those who criticise the LTTE.
The event-Chairperson, Tamil Times Editor P. Rajanayagam in his
opening address said Kethesh championed peaceful co-existence of Tamils
and Sinhalese against the separatist ideology of the LTTE.
He said Kethesh never hesitated to criticise Sri Lankan Governments
who failed to address the concerns of the Tamils.
Former Premier of the Ontario State Bob Rae said the late Tamil
leader was a victim of a struggle within the community for leadership.
Calling him a voice of moderation Rae said Kethesh was a close friend
and a great champion of democratic values.
He called for redoubling of the international effort to push for a
resumption of negotiations to find a viable political solution.
A commemorative volume titled Remembering Kethesh was released at the
event attended mostly by the Sri Lankan Tamil community in the UK. The
programme included speeches, music and poetry readings to honour the
memory of Loganathan. |