We must solve our own problems – Devananda

The resolution adopted at the UNHRC against Sri Lanka does not help solve problems of the Tamil speaking people, Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development Minister Douglas Devananda said.

Devananda, the Secretary General of the Eelam People’s Democratic Party in a media release also said: “We ourselves should solve our own problems through constructive dialogue.”

“External proposals would be of importance only if they addressed the political rights’ issue of the Tamil speaking people,” Devananda said.

He said what the Tamil speaking people need at present is a pragmatic course of action reaching out to a dignified solution to their political problem.

Destruction caused to the Tamil speaking people in the past few decades should be a launching pad for them to re-awaken themselves to the realities, and to do so every assistance needs to be extended to them to lead a poverty free life, the minister said.

He said he is of the belief that the protection of Human Rights, establishment of democracy and development should go hand in hand.

Devananda said it is for this purpose that he has been working in collaboration with the government right through out.

The minister said he was confident of fair treatment.

He said Tamil National Alliance leaders having misled, cheated and rigged the votes of Tamil speaking people, have found their way to the Parliament and continue to deceive the Tamil people even at present, like what they did at the previous occasions, saying at the beginning of every year, that Eelam would be given to them before Thai Pongal and May Day would be celebrated in a fully liberated Tamil Eelam.

“These unscrupulous Tamil leaders are telling fairy tales to the Tamil people only to sustain their parliamentary seats,” the minister said. He said the present TNA leadership with Tiger terrorists sabotaged the Indo-Lanka Pact, Premadasa-LTTE talks, Chandrika-LTTE talks, Rani- LTTE talks and finally Mahinda-LTTE talks and led the country to a disastrous war, causing sufferings to Tamil speaking people.