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“If the Sri Lankan government, instead of bringing an end to the war, force another brutal war on the Tamils ... then the effects of that war will be felt throughout the island,” rebel political wing leader S.P Thamilselvan told Reuters in an email interview. “If the Sri Lankan government unleashes another brutal ethnic war on Tamils, then the Tamils will not hesitate to use any strategy to defend themselves,” he added, when asked if the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) would resort to feared Black Tiger suicide bombers.
“If the occupying military will vacate (Tamil areas) and our people are able to live in an environment of normalcy and freedom like other people, then neither we nor our people have any need to engage in military clashes,” Thamilselvan said.
“Only if the (majority) Sinhala side understands this and takes steps in accordance with this understanding, there will be peace in this island,” he added. “As long as their rights are denied to the Tamils in their homeland, there will be no peace in the island of Ceylon.”