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Rebels have been routed for good, says Sri Lankan Tamil MP
DUBAI Sri Lanka is finding its feet a year after the rout of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the death of its leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.The sesssionist struggle for a Tamil homeland in the north and east of the country by the Tiger rebels may have come to nought, but many Tamils are happy about the governments reconciliation efforts with the minorities. With development projects in full swing, there is no indication of the dreaded outfit regrouping, according to a senior Tamil MP. Political will and military muscle may have ensured there are no more tears from terrorists in the tiny tear-drop shaped country, south of India. Critics, however, accuse the government of human rights violations and for the plight of thousands of refugees displaced by war. There is no room for violence in the new Sri Lanka, the focus is on growth and civil harmony, said Tamil-Muslim Member of Parliament Abdul Cader of the opposition United National Party, a political veteran of over two decades. Speaking to Khaleej Times, he dismissed reports of an LTTE revival, and of funds flowing in for the group from sympathisers in Canada, the US, India, Britain and Australia. The leading Tamil politician, who has never lost an election, said the Sri Lankan government under Mahinda Rajapaksa was reaching out to the minority Tamils, who make up about 10 per cent of the population. The Sinhalese are in majority with 82 per cent, while the Lankan Moors comprise a little over eight per cent of the populace. Only on Wednesday, Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa chaired a cabinet meeting in Killinnochi, where ironically, the slain Tamil Tiger leader held his first and only press conference in April 2002. Speaking in the town, the president, said: If not for terrorism the district would have developed long ago. The terrorist who destroyed the northern railway line. We have to obtain foreign loans to restore all this devastation. Who will pay for them? The entire nation will. The country comes first, it belongs to everyone, and the president is sending out a message that unity is paramount and we should progress together Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Buddhists... said Cader, who lauded efforts by the government to resettle Tamil refugees. Cader, who claims to be a nationalist above all else, said Tamils and the Muslim minority were fed up by the gory past and the lack of development, a price the country paid during decades of conflict. We dont want to see such violence again. Theres work to be done and countries in the region like India and China will play a major role in reconstruction efforts, said Cader. Posted by: Steve White 2010-07-16 |
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