Sri Lankan spokesman in London Tv debate says it is ridiculous to ask for ceasefire for defeated terrorists

(By Walter Jayawardhana)

While Sri Lankans, Tamils and Sinhalese alike rejoice the defeat of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, (LTTE) and more than one hundred thousand Tamil civilians ran away from them, it is ridiculous some Tamil Londoners demonstrate asking a ceasefire as a last ditch to save the terrorists, said Douglas Wickramaratne in London's Sunrise TV breakfast show.

Douglas Wickramarane , the President of UK's Sinhala Association and a Tamil spokesman Arjunan Ediriweerasingham debated the controversial London demonstration carrying the official LTTE flag and blocking streets of the parliament.

Wickramaratne said, "This is an unauthorized demonstration by a banned terrorist group even carrying the terrible LTTE flag. Will the British government ever allow Al-Qaeda to hold a rally blocking London streets."

When one of the two interviewers asked Arjunan Edirweerasingham about the human shield used by the LTTE to protect their own skin the Tamil spokesman said there is credibility about such stories because the Sri Lankan government has not allowed the Western press there.

But when Wickremaratne said the UN as well as Sir John Holmes have stated so, Edirweerasingham asked "Who is this Mr. Holmes?" Then the Sinhala Association President had to tell him that Sir John Holmes is an under secretary general of the United Nations.

When one of the interviewers said that they saw Tamil civilians not walking to the other side from the LTTE enclave but virtually running away from the LTTE enclave the London Tamil spokesman evaded in his reply.

Douglas Wickramaratne said the LTTE had treated the civilians very cruelly in the past by implementing "ethnic cleansing" by chasing out the Sinhalese and then 100,000 Muslims from Jaffna allowing them to take just œ 5 worth of Sri Lankan money and those civilians are still languishing in various camps. At that time, strangely, the people who are clamouring about Tamil civilians, who are also victims of the LTTE, were shamefully and strangely silent, Wickramaratne said.

Edirweerasingham said Sri Lanka's real problem is the Tamil rights have been crushed by the Sri Lanka government and they are imposing Sinhalese as the sole state language since 1956. He also accused the government of killing thousands of Tamils.

Wickramaratne said Sri Lanka is the only country in the world which has made Tamil a state language while there about 100 million Tamils all over the world. Tamil enjoys parity with the Sinhalese as the national state languages and in India where there are 70 million Tamils it is only a provincial language, he said. Wickramaratne called them one of the most priviledged minority in the world.

Edirweerasingham reiterated the Tamils want a ceasefire in the war to stop this genocide. The war should be stopped forthwith. He said.

Wickramaratne said Sri Lanka is a sovereign nation and its citizens , whether Sinhalese, Tamils or Muslims have got the right to life. The perpetrators of the killing grounds, where the terrorists walked into villages and slashed the abdomens of pregnant women, and shot infants and killed in holy places are the LTTE. They have strengthened themselves during past ceasefires. Another ceasefire means another round of killings of impunity, Wickramaratne argued.