Wednesday, June 22, 2005
SPUR condemns donor countries for interfering in internal affairs
By Damitha Hemachandra
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Responding to the Joint Statement issued by Japan, Norway, USA and EU urging Sri Lanka to set up a Joint Mechanism to manage relief and reconstruction aid for tsunami affected areas in the North and East, the Society For Peace, Unity and Human Rights for Sri Lanka (SPUR) condemned attempts by donor countries to interfere in Sri Lanka’s internal governance and questioned their sincerity in providing aid for tsunami relief. “For reasons only known to them, the donor countries are once again battering the democratically elected Sri Lankan government rather than holding the LTTE terrorists, who are exploiting the tsunami-affected people, to open up for tsunami rehabilitation accountable for undermining democracy,” SPUR in an open letter to the donor countries said. SPUR also pointed that among Sri Lankans there is significant opposition to a joint agreement with the LTTE .
“Over 62% of the people surveyed by the Presidential Secretariat were against any deal with the LTTE terrorists.
A further 20% required more information before they could decide,” The letter said. The letter further stated that the general public unlike the President does not have faith that the LTTE will use the Joint Mechanism or the Post Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS) as a vehicle to consolidate their now weakened military strength.
“Their doubts are based on the daily atrocities committed by the LTTE,” SPUR said adding that the LTTE had seriously violated the Ceasefire Agreement more than ten times within last two weeks.
The violations include the assassination of a top level military intelligence officer, Lt Col. Nizam Muthalif in Colombo, assassination of a political leader Kannan of the EPDP on Saturday in Vavuniya together with a serving army officer Major E R Edward, abduction of police constable S Priyantha in Kinniya, Trincomalee and throwing a hand grenade killing one and injuring 15 grieving family members at the funeral of Shanmugam Selvarathnam, who was assassinated by the LTTE three days ago.
As a solution SPUR urged the donor countries to limit LTTE involvement in tsunami relief in the uncleared areas in two districts and to let the Sri Lankan government to provide rehabilitation and reconstruction in other tsunami affected areas in the North, East and South.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Responding to the Joint Statement issued by Japan, Norway, USA and EU urging Sri Lanka to set up a Joint Mechanism to manage relief and reconstruction aid for tsunami affected areas in the North and East, the Society For Peace, Unity and Human Rights for Sri Lanka (SPUR) condemned attempts by donor countries to interfere in Sri Lanka’s internal governance and questioned their sincerity in providing aid for tsunami relief. “For reasons only known to them, the donor countries are once again battering the democratically elected Sri Lankan government rather than holding the LTTE terrorists, who are exploiting the tsunami-affected people, to open up for tsunami rehabilitation accountable for undermining democracy,” SPUR in an open letter to the donor countries said. SPUR also pointed that among Sri Lankans there is significant opposition to a joint agreement with the LTTE .
“Over 62% of the people surveyed by the Presidential Secretariat were against any deal with the LTTE terrorists.
A further 20% required more information before they could decide,” The letter said. The letter further stated that the general public unlike the President does not have faith that the LTTE will use the Joint Mechanism or the Post Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS) as a vehicle to consolidate their now weakened military strength.
“Their doubts are based on the daily atrocities committed by the LTTE,” SPUR said adding that the LTTE had seriously violated the Ceasefire Agreement more than ten times within last two weeks.
The violations include the assassination of a top level military intelligence officer, Lt Col. Nizam Muthalif in Colombo, assassination of a political leader Kannan of the EPDP on Saturday in Vavuniya together with a serving army officer Major E R Edward, abduction of police constable S Priyantha in Kinniya, Trincomalee and throwing a hand grenade killing one and injuring 15 grieving family members at the funeral of Shanmugam Selvarathnam, who was assassinated by the LTTE three days ago.
As a solution SPUR urged the donor countries to limit LTTE involvement in tsunami relief in the uncleared areas in two districts and to let the Sri Lankan government to provide rehabilitation and reconstruction in other tsunami affected areas in the North, East and South.
