GoSL negligent on LTTE safe travel
In a letter to SLMM, LTTE Political Wing Head S P Tamilselvan reiterated that LTTE commanders always took up sea travel in LTTE vessels with SLMM monitors on board. He rejected GoSL offer to transport unarmed LTTE’s eastern commanders to Kilinochchi in Sri Lankan vessel for discussions with Tamil leadership ahead of the upcoming Geneva talks. The full text of the letter follows:
"The announcement made by GoSL through you regarding the travel of our eastern commanders has shocked and enraged our leadership. GoSL has put forward a totally impractical solution to our request. We do not believe that this attitude of GoSL, rejecting our proposals and the processes that were in place for the last four years and destroying all good will, will encourage the peace efforts. It is absolutely necessary for our leadership to discuss matters with our district commanders before the next round of Geneva talks. It is for this purpose that we requested travel arrangements for our commanders. Ever since the ceasefire agreement was signed, only air transport was used for the travel of our commanders to and from Trincomalee and Batticaloa. It is because, in recent times, GoSL and the Sri Lankan Navy has adopted a negative attitude and refused to assure us save transport, that we requested sea transport for our commanders. We posses a powerful Naval force. We wish to remind you that, in the past, our commanders and fighters used our own naval vessel when they travelled by sea. We cannot accept that our commanders and fighters must now travel in Sri Lankan naval vessels. Therefore, we here by inform that our commanders and fighters are not prepared travel in Sri Lankan naval vessels. Further, GoSL has not taken any measures to implement the decisions that were taken at last month’s Geneva talks. This shows clearly their negligence in implementing the ceasefire agreement and their lack of interest in taking forward the peace efforts. We therefore request you to speedily make arrangements for the sea travel of our commanders accompanied by SLMM officers as was done in the past. We wish to inform you that if our request is not heeded to with urgency and is refused then we will launch our travel using our own resources. We also like to inform you that if the Sri Lankan Navy attempts to intercept our vessel and create trouble, it will be a serious CFA violation. Should such a situation arise, we wish to inform you that the Sri Lankan Navy too will face similar interceptions in the future. We fear that such a scenario will lead to a breakdown of the ceasefire agreement. We, therefore, politely request you to speedily make arrangements for the travel of our commanders."
09 April 2006
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Europe which has a total population of 800 million is made up of 45 language based nation states. South Asia which has a total population of one billion, (1000 million) is comprised of four states. Who is preventing and therefore benefiting by limiting new nation-states in South Asia?
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