EPRLF supports President Rajapaksa:

Tamils lost many opportunities

M.P. Muttiah

Tamils had lost many opportunities to find a political solution to the ethnic problem due to the historical mistakes done by Tamil political leaders, said EPRLF Padmanaba wing Party General Secretary Thirunavukkarasu Sritharan. He added that many new developments had taken place in the Jaffna Peninsuala.

Sritharan added that intellectuals, students and public are having a peace of mind now. They are not prepared to listen to the leaders who misguided them and realize the realistic situation.

He further added that his party supports President Mahinda Rajapaksa as he had taken meaningful steps to solve many problems. The opening of A9 Highway, cancellation of police registration, resettlement of internally displaced people and handing back child soldiers forcibly taken over by the LTTE were some of the commendable achievements, he said. The Second Chamber as proposed by the President would help to obtain enough representation to Tamils and Muslims in the country. The democratic tradition of Sri Lanka should be preserved, Sritharan pointed out.

Tamil leadership in the recent past missed all opportunities provided by the Indo-Lanka Agreement, Constitutional reforms introduced by former President Kumaratunga and Oslo initiatives.

The Tamil community is 30 years lagging behind due to the misguidance of the leaders, he pointed out.

It should be pointed out that intellectuals and students of Jaffna have realised the new developments and are working with forces that would help build the North again, he added. Sritharan expressed the hope that President Mahinda Rajapaksa would be able to present a political solution to the ethnic problem after his re-election.