The Hindu : Killinochchi talks focus on highway dispute

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 22, 2002

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International

Killinochchi talks focus on highway dispute

By Nirupama Subramanian

COLOMBO May 21. The Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE are said to have discussed ways of resolving a dispute over bus operations on the recently reopened A 9 highway, during the visit of Bernard Goonetilleke, a senior diplomat who heads the Peace Secretariat, to the LTTE political headquarters in Killinochchi today.

The LTTE has said it would not allow government public transport on the stretch of the A 9 under its control, and demanded the right to run its own bus service. The Government has so far maintained it would not concede to this demand.

An official of the Norwegian embassy here accompanied Mr. Goonetilleke. Norway is the official facilitator of the peace process. It is not known if the two sides discussed other issues that have become sticking points in the peace process, including the LTTE demand for legalisation and withdrawal of the armed forces from public buildings in the north-east, and the accusations against the Tigers of harassment of civilians and extortion, particularly in the east. A Tamil newspaper reported today that a senior leader of the LTTE in charge of eastern Sri Lanka had asked the Tamil people to voluntarily give one son or daughter from every family to what he described as the "struggle''. In a speech made at a public gathering in Government-controlled Batticaloa on Monday, S. Karikalan, political wing leader of the LTTE, said that up to now, it was families in LTTE-held areas that had been voluntarily sending their children to the "movement'', and now it was time for the rest to do the same, the daily Thinakkural said.

Under the ceasefire agreement, LTTE cadres who could earlier not openly enter Government-held areas are allowed to move about freely now for "political work''. Since the implementation of this provision, Mr. Karikalan is the senior-most leader to have ventured out of LTTE-controlled areas in north-east Sri Lanka. His demand for one child from every family was made at Chenkaladdy, 16 km north of Batticaloa town, at a public rally in the local school grounds.

The English language pro-LTTE TamilNet website reported that he asked youth over 18 years to join the LTTE for political work.

Mr. Karikalan was reported as warning that this was the last chance for peace, and if it was unsuccessful and fighting broke out once more, it would also be the last war.

Praising the LTTE leader, V. Prabakaran, for his ability not only to wage war but also carry to out a "democratic struggle'', Mr. Karikalan said the LTTE was firmly committed to a peacefully negotiated settlement and asked the Government to grasp the opportunity. Mr. Karikalan's speech came as Tamil sources told The Hindu that the LTTE had recently intensified recruitment to its ranks in the east.

Reportedly leading the drive from behind the scenes is the LTTE intelligence wing leader, Pottu Amman, wanted by India as the number two accused in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination. Mr. Pottu Amman, who used to be based in northern Sri Lanka, has now been in eastern Sri Lanka for nearly a month but has restricted himself to LTTE-controlled areas of Batticaloa.

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