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| Sri Lanka |
| Former top Lanka rebels in poll alliance with govt |
| 2013-07-16 |
| Three former top Tamil Tiger rebels will support the government in the upcoming crucial provincial council elections in the North which was the former rebel territory. Velayutham Dayanthi better known as Daya Master, who was once Tamil Tiger media spokesman, confirmed that he has been selected as the governing party United People’s Freedom Alliance’s (UPFA) candidate for the Northern Provincial elections. “Only I will be contesting from us,” he said crushing speculations that other top former Tamil Tiger rebels who have been through the government’s rehabilitation programmes will also contest the September elections. Two other key former rebels, the movement’s international fund-raiser and weapons procurer KP or Selvarasa Pathmanathan and former women’s wing leader Thamilini were also tipped to contest the September polls. However, Daya Master in a recent rally in the North confirmed that KP and Thamilini will not contest this year’s Northern elections and instead will stand by him. “All former Tamil Tiger combatants and other members will support me in the fray,” he said. Meanwhile, reports said that Daya Master will help prepare UPFA’s manifesto for the Northern Provincial Council election. Local media said that he had identified issues faced by the Tamil people and the solutions to these issues would be included in the party’s manifesto. Daya Master surrendered to the Sri Lankan army during the last stages of three decades of war against the Tamil Tiger terrorists in 2009. KP was arrested by Sri Lankan intelligence agents in Malaysia a month later. Thamalini crossed over to government-held areas in the guise of a civillian two months before the army shot dead the Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, ending the war. Almost all surrendered and captured Tiger cadres have been rehabilitated and reintegrated into society by the government. The upcoming elections in the province, which has a Tamil majority population, will be a battle for governance between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). The government fears that a win by the former Tamil Tiger sympathising party TNA will hurt the province, which is just 30km away from Tamil Nadu, and bring all reconciliation and development efforts to a standstill. |
| Posted by:Steve White |