COUNTER PROPOSALS ON INTERIM GOVERNMENT EXPECTS LTTE OBTAIN POWERS TO REMOVE HIGH SECURITY ZONES AND ARMY OCCUPIED LAND
By Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles
August 01.10.00 PM:LTTE political section leader Thamilchelvan hinted their group’s counter proposals on the Interim Government expected land powers to remove High Security Zones from the two provinces and properties occupied by the security forces.
S. P. Thamilchelvan, who traveled to Batticaloa District by a Sri Lanka Air Force helicopter hinting about the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) counter proposals on the LTTE dominated Interim government for the two provinces of North and East said any administration for those areas would need the utility of land powers for the resettlement of refugees.
Reports from Kokadicholai, in the Batticaloa District said, S.P. Thamilchelvan, the leader of the political section of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam had told journalists at “Solaiyam” Guest House that the government had submitted proposals on the LTTE dominated Interim government three times through the Norwegian ambassador, John Westborg.
He said that the Tamil rebel group would like to reiterate that the newly built LTTE camp, what they called Kurangupanjan and what the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission called Wan Ela in Kinniya is situated in the LTTE controlled area. The Sri Lanka Army and the Norway controlled Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission maintained that the illegal LTTE camp was in the Sri Lanka government controlled area.
Hinting about the counter proposals, Thamilchelvan said he could not directly say something about the counter proposals because the Ranil Wickremesinghe government expected high secrecy on the proposals but the LTTE should have the utility power of the lands in the two provinces but to accept them as the powers of the interim government the rebel group should have the power of land utility to resettle the refugees. . He said the security forces who were occupying the land in the two provinces and High Security Zones in the Northern and Eastern provinces were creating great obstacles to implement such a policy. He said since they signed a ceasefire agreement with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe 500 refugees from Wanni who came in the expectation of resettlement had to be returned to Wanni for want of lands.
The Ranil Wickremesinghe government has already sent Major General Sarath Fonseka, the Jaffna commander on overseas leave to the United States. Fonseka was dead against of removing the High Security Zones of Jaffna before LTTE de-commissioned heavy artillery that they held.
The LTTE meanwhile announced the Ranil Wickremesinghe government would further provide the Sri Lanka Air Force helicopters for the separatist leader to travel to Muttur despite the protest against the supply by Sri Lanka’s main opposition the Sri Lanka Freedom Party to withdraw the facility since the Tamil rebels were no longer involved in the peace talks. SLFP secretary Maitripala Sirisena demanded the supply of the helicopters at public expense to further LTTE goals should be immediately withdrawn.
