SRI LANKA ARMY’S WANNI COMMANDING OFFICE ASKED FOR EXPLANATIONS FROM THE GA WHY HE WAS ORGANIZING PONGU THAMIL
By Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles
August 27.02.00 PM:In a major conflict with Sri Lanka’s Government Agent in the Vavuniya District the Wanni Commanding office of the Sri Lanka Army asked for explanations why the Government Agent was involved in organizing a major propaganda effort of the Tamil rebel group known as “Pongu Thamil” to be held in Vavuniya very soon.
The Sri Lanka Army’s Wanni Commanding office in Vavuniya asked the Government Agent, K. Ganesh, the chief civil administrator of the Sri Lanka government, why he was utilizing the state machinery trying to engage government school children in the Pongu Thamil celebrations to be held in Vavuniya, September 15. Vavuniya is in the Sri Lanka government controlled area under the Ceasefire Agreement.
The Tamil terrorist group, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the meantime has pointed out to the Government Agent that the Sri Lanka Army has no business in interfering in the Pongu Thamil, which they called a major cultural event of the Tamils.
During the previous Pongu Thamil celebrations it was amply demonstrated, army sources say, that they were nothing else but LTTE propaganda rallies using some Tamil cultural performances.
In a previous Pongu Thamil celebration in Jaffna a mock attack on a Sri Lanka government military camp was staged. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s special representative at the celebrations, Saman Athaudahetti said the LTTE speakers at the rally treated Sri Lanka Army soldiers with brotherly love. But independent observers said brotherly love or not it was a rally arousing Tamils against the country’s national army. They said all Pongu Thamil rallies were specifically aimed to attack the country’s security forces, as enemies of the Tamil people. Critics called Athaudahetti a pathological liar engaged in the most ridiculous propaganda.
The Sri Lanka Army has pointed out that there had been an earlier agreement between the Army, the LTTE and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission representatives not to use school children for political purposes.
The Government Agent, in a dilemma has now inquired Home Minister Alick Aluvihare as to what step he should take since he was between the orders of the office of the Sri Lanka Army’s Wanni command and orders of the LTTE.
