The LTTE on Monday recognized and welcomed a refreshing attitude in US, different from the other countries. It pleaded the Sri Lanka government to listen to international opinion, to stop the war and enter into negotiations. But at the same time it warned Colombo of dire consequences if the war is continued. “ The LTTE and the fight for our freedom will also continue.
The methods may vary but Sri Lanka will never be able to live in peace as it imagines a military victory will bring. However, for the record the LTTE would like to emphasize again that it is always ready to explore peaceful means to resolve the conflict”, the LTTE statement issued from the political headquarters in Vanni, read."The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam appreciates the genuine concerns expressed by the United States Government's statement dated 16th April 2009, on the escalating humanitarian catastrophe in the Vanni/Mullaitivu region."
"So far, while the rest of the world has concentrated on apportioning blame, the United States has stressed the importance of finding solutions to put an immediate end to the plight of the Tamil civilians being lured and attacked in the safe zone by the Sri Lankan Government."
"The community that has been fighting for justice over its treatment and unequal status will now never forget the deep wounds left by the innumerable deaths of their kith and kin directly caused by the actions of the Sri Lankan Government."
"The LTTE urges the Sri Lankan government to stop its military actions, including shelling and bombing civilian areas and accept the call of the United States and other members of the International community for a ceasefire, which we believe will create a conducive atmosphere for talks on all relevant issues."
Full text of the statement issued by LTTE Political Head Quarters in Vanni follows:
20th April 2009
The LTTE Welcomes The US State Department’s Statement
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam appreciates the genuine concerns expressed by the United States Government’s statement dated 16th April 2009, on the escalating humanitarian catastrophe in the Vanni/Mullaitivu region. This is an important step towards meaningful international action to actually protect and provide relief to the forlorn Tamil civilian population incurring daily causalities and unspeakable tragedies from the offensive military operations of the Sri Lankan armed forces towards the safe zone where they were asked to go into, by the same Sri Lankan Government.
Apart from the plight of the civilian population in the safe zone, the Tamil people in other parts of the Tamil homeland are facing severe military oppression, countless indignities and denial of basic human rights. The people detained by the Sri Lankan Government at military controlled detention camps in Vavuniya are subjected to incessant persecution and torture by the Sri Lankan state forces. The Tamil people in Jaffna peninsula, Mannar, Vavuniya, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Amparai are subject to atrocities of the Sri Lanka ’s military, police and paramilitary rulers on a daily basis. The IDPs in North and East of the Island are subject to indefinite military control without any effective mechanisms to facilitate their safety and return to their own homes and villages.
So far, while the rest of the world has concentrated on apportioning blame, the United States has stressed the importance of finding solutions to put an immediate end to the plight of the Tamil civilians being lured and attacked in the safe zone by the Sri Lankan Government. USA has also been openly acknowledge the need to address the basic discrimination, inequality and racism towards the Tamil people by the Sinhalese Sri Lankan Government that was and is the root cause for our fight for freedom. The community that has been fighting for justice over its treatment and unequal status will now never forget the deep wounds left by the innumerable deaths of their kith and kin directly caused by the actions of the Sri Lankan Government. A military solution will never lay this problem to rest, as the Sri Lankan Government envisages and constantly promises everyone.
The LTTE would like reiterate its commitment to a ceasefire without any preconditions, as urged by the US and other members of the international community. The LTTE is also ready for a meaningful negotiation on all issues related to humanitarian access, security, movement and welfare of the Tamil civilian population.
The LTTE urges the Sri Lankan government to stop its military actions, including shelling and bombing civilian areas and accept the call of the United States and other members of the International community for a ceasefire, which we believe will create a conducive atmosphere for talks on all relevant issues.
We note the Sri Lankan Government’s recent statements that we are not in a position to ask for any preconditions. We would like to make it clear that while the basic rights of the Tamils continue to be denied, while successive Sri Lankan Governments always consider that the way to address our grievances is through military action and not constitutional changes, while the injustices against the Tamils now also includes daily shelling and killing of Tamil men, women, children and even unborn babies (for all of which we have pictorial evidence), while the international community watches on in deafening silence, the LTTE and the fight for our freedom will also continue. The methods may vary but Sri Lanka will never be able to live in peace, as it imagines a military victory will bring.
However, for the record, the LTTE would like to emphasise again that it is always ready to explore peaceful means to resolve the conflict.
Political Head Quarters
Liberation Tigers of TamilEelam
TamilEelam
Comments (8)
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International Community
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im proud
becos of these guys, im proud to b tamil. atleast the Ltte is trying to find other ways of finding peace other that violence, shows our tru nature and the narrow-mindness of the GOSL.
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LTTE as a separate entity is no more!!!!!
Now after so much of bloodshed, treason, Norway and the West's betrayal and Sonia's revenge we are back to the very begenning.
Whilst whats happenning in our homaland may be out of our hands directly, this also presents an opertunity for us to clarify to the international community that just because the armed part of the struggle has been somewhat weekened, the struggle is far from over.
Readers must understand that the excuse used so far to kill our relatives back home has been the armed part and the constant focus on just that.
Our rights have been further eroded and due to our blind faith on Indians, who let down even the people who put them in power, will somehow come to our rescue was very stupid of us to sday the least. The TNA parliamentarians who believed Indians and moved away from the armed part of struggle are being hunted like birds by SL government whilst those waiting to be killed have no power but fear.
We have learnt the lessons. Now its time for all of us to make firm commitment and effort without slack
and without saying LTTE will save us, do out bit. Whilst those took up arms can be held in very high places of our heart, they are not exactly gods.
The international community with the innocent act of the Norwegians brought our strength from maximum needed to dimnished level.
Now we have to ask this international community to help us as we have no military strength.
Thanks
Sundar
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LTTE will continue the fight against racism and inequality
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The struggle continues
When chief Albert Lutuli of the ANC died the ANC did not die. If Prabarakan is dead or alive the fight Tamil Eelam will still live on. He has secured a place in Tamil history forever. The LTTE has brought the plight of the Eelam Tamils to the world stage for everyone to take notice of.
We have entered a new face in our struggle for liberation. It took black people in South Africa 84 years to archieve freedom from aparthied. Our freedom struggle started in 1948, for the first 34 years it was peacefull and the response from the Singhala people was violence. Then our youth of the 1980's had to take up arms and the state was driven out of our homeland Tamil Eelam. For 26 years we fought a couragous was against a ruthless state. The LTTE never signed any Geneva convention but they respected the code of war better than the Singhala Government who signed a Geneva Convention and did not folllow any rules in it.
We salute the LTTE for making Eelam a reality and we all know that the govenment cannot afford to maintain such a huge arm for long. 180 000 Sri Lankan soldiers against 9000 LTTE freedom fighters.
that's is 20 to 1. This is a new stage in our struggle and our long walk to freedom continues. They call th LTTE terrorist yet the war was being conducted by an invading army in the LTTE controlled areas and amougst the tamil populations homeland at the expense of the tamilian. So who were the invading force and who was the terrorist ?
it cannot be denied that the world is now aware of the plight of the Eelam tamils, the world is aware of the tamils aspirations for Eelam which the tamils won and ruled for the past 27 years.
Long live LTTE, Long live our struggle for Tamil Eelam. Our struggle may have changed to accomodate changing times but our quest for Eelam will never diminish.
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