'Ganeshan creating unwarranted fear among Tamil community'
COLOMBO: The statement by Mano Ganeshan, of the Western People's
Front, calling on Tamil civilians in the North & the East to keep out of
Colombo is not based on fact and appears to be intended to drive
unwarranted fear among the Tamil people of the North and the East, and
also create a highly unfavourable impression of Sri Lanka abroad, in the
prevailing context of the LTTE's repeated brutality, the Presidential
Secretariat said.
Contrary to what Ganeshan states, the recent bomb blasts carried out
by the LTTE have not triggered "hate and doubts" against Tamils coming
to Colombo from the North & the East, it added.
A statement issued by the Presidential Secretariat said: "It is
evident that the LTTE, acting with deliberation, is trying to provoke
people outside its area of control into acts of violence in reprisal for
the repeated brutality carried out by it in the several attacks on
public transport and other incidents targeting innocent civilians of all
communities.
The government's consistent endeavour is to prevent any acts of
violence against the Tamil people, which has met with very a favourable
response by the public.
Ganeshan makes another unfounded statement that "the State media is
orchestrating this hate campaign on an hourly basis while rational
behaviour cannot be assured by the security establishment authorised to
maintain law and order."
This is furthest from the truth. Far from orchestrating a hate
campaign against Tamil citizens, the state media has given considerable
prominence to the repeated calls to the people by President Mahinda
Rajapaksa not to give in to provocation by the LTTE as it carries out
this repeated act of brutality with the aim of fanning communal hatred
for its own benefit.
These institutions have played an important role in maintaining calm
in the face of the LTTE's provocative acts. The security establishment
too, has been consistent in preventing any backlash against the Tamil
community in the South due to these deliberate provocations by the LTTE.
With regard to the arrest of persons under suspicion for alleged
involvement in the recent violent acts of the LTTE, this has been done
in accordance with the law and it is a gross distortion of truth to
state it is difficult to differentiate between acts of abducting and
arrests.
The Ministry of Human Rights and Disaster Management that maintains a
Help Desk regarding arrests and abductions confirms that there have been
no complaints or inquiries received to date regarding the reported
arrests following the recent bomb attacks in Colombo and its suburbs by
the LTTE.
Ganeshan states that his position as the Colombo district's elected
Tamil Parliamentarian gives him legitimacy to warn the Tamil people of
the North and the East against coming to Colombo.
It is necessary to note have that there is a security establishment
that is in the best position to issue such a warning to the public,
which has not thought the prevailing conditions merit such a warning.
It must be noted that a far larger proportion of Tamil speaking
people live in Colombo and the South compared to those in the North and
East and that they do live in safety and harmony with other communities.
It is regretted that Ganeshan, by this statement, has thought it fit
to create unnecessary fear among the Tamil community, which by design or
not, can only further the cause of those seeking to promote communal
hatred. |