TULF Blames TNA For Ignoring India

Sri Lanka's Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) has blamed the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) for agreeing to South African mediation while overlooking India's contributions to the peace process.

"With all respect to the South African government, we should tell them that we will gladly consider adapting the South Africa's Bill of Rights. But India had been taking a lot of interest in solving our problem, from the time of Madam Indira Gandhi," a TULF resolution stated.

"India lost a prime ministerial candidate at the time of his assassination and hundreds of soldiers in Sri Lanka.

India's assistance for rehabilitation and resettlement still continue and is in the process of considering further assistance," the resolution said.

TULF was the main Tamil party until the LTTE's emergence as an armed group pursuing a violent struggle for a separate Tamil homeland.

TULF leader Anandasangaree stays out of the TNA - the broader political front of Tamil political parties.

He was critical of TNA's policy of staying close to LTTE and for contesting elections in the past as an LTTE proxy.

In the resolution, the TULF stated that it also strongly believes that the disunity between the TULF and the TNA had seriously affected the welfare of the Tamil-speaking people and had reduced the chances of finding solutions for their problems.

The resolution urged Tamils to back President Maithripala Sirisena and give all support to re-establish democracy in the country and to rule while providing equal opportunities for all ethnic groups to live in peace and amity as free citizens of Sri Lanka.

"The present head of state should be given full backing to enable him to gain full strength and take decisions firmly.

The TULF urges the TNA leadership to caution its members about their utterances or earn the blame of missing the last opportunity that came on its own," the resolution said.
(PTI)