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CABINET MINISTER WITH TIES WITH TIGERS OPENLY DECLARES THAT THEY ARE READY FOR WAR WITH SRI LANKA GOVERNMENT
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Community development Minister of Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government Periyasamy Chandrasekaran with terrorist leader Prabhakaran
By Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles

JAnuary 23, 12.30 AM: A Tamil cabinet minister of the ruling United National Front government warned the Tamils were now ready for a war with Sri Lanka, two Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled websites reported, January 21.

The opposition has repeatedly complained that the LTTE was getting prepared for a war while taking cover under the Norway managed Ceasefire Agreement.

The statement of the Ranil Wickremesinghe administration’s Community development Minister Periyasamy Chandrasekaran, who maintains cordial relations with the Tamil Tigers came at a LTTE propaganda rally held at Batticaloa, the news websites, Tamil Net and Eelamnation said.

Periyasamy Chandrasekaran addressing the LTTE propaganda rally called “Pongu Thamil” in the Eastern Province capital reportedly said the solidarity between Indian origin Tamils working in the sprawling and lush tea plantations in the central hills and the Tamils of the Northern and Eastern Provinces should be strengthened.

A Tamil political party Eelam People’s Democratic Party( EPDP), opposed to the Tamil Tigers recently charged that with the recommendation of Periyasamay Chandrasekaran hundreds of Indian origin Tamil youth were sent to North and East for LTTE’s guerilla training under the guise of going for manual labor. LTTE representatives infiltrated into the tea plantations also under the pretension of having discussions over a water bottling plant , sources said.

But Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe under whose control the country’s Defense Ministry remained until recent times refused to take action against his cabinet minister or investigate the allegations. Even after the take over of the Defense Ministry by the President , no action has been taken against the Minister who is also the Leader of the Upcountry People’s Front.

Intelligence sources said that they were aware of the training of the Indian origin Tamil youth by the LTTE and they were being trained and sent back to the tea plantations. The youth trained under the auspices of the Minister would be used to sabotage Sri Lanka’s economy , in the event of a war, they believe.

The Eelam nation website quoted Minister Chandrasekaran of having said at the Pongu Thamil rally in Batticaloa, “A political bridge should be made between the Thamils in the Northeast and the Thamils in the hill country, and we must show our united strength to the Sinhala Nationalist”

But Sri Lanka Army sources said the bridge was built during the last two years using the governmental powers of the minister.

The Eelamnation further quoted the Minister of having said, “The JVP-PA alliance is the most dangerous challenge that the Thamils have to face. If the government does not devolve power to the Thamils to settle the conflict, then even the Lord Buddha can’t stop a disastrous war. The Sinhala nation must understand that the Thamils are prepared to face a war and the Thamils will definitely win the war if it comes towards them,”

( go2lanka.com)