“President Rajapaksha Always Depending On Illicit Pacts with Terrorists”

(March 13, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) General Secretary of the UNP ,Tissa Attanayake, addressing the Medias on today morning, (recalled the Govt.‘s promise to the world at the peace negotiations in Geneva , when Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva said all terror groups shall be disarmed. But, after returning to Sri Lanka, the Govt. began supporting and nurturing the LTTE breakaway terror group, the Karuna or now, the Pillayan group who are as bad or worse than the LTTE .

The country cannot forget the illicit pact between the Govt. and LTTE at the Presidential elections whereby the Govt. is alleged to have paid billions of rupees to LTTE in one of the greatest betrayals of the country to preclude the voters in the North from voting. But, for which pact, Mahinda Rajapakse would not have been the President now.

This Eastern province election was similarly manipulated. This is a Govt. which has a proven record and history to align itself with, and glorify any terror group if it can win the elections irrespective of what harm may befall the people or their democratic rights.

The Govt. after holding elections creating a transitory peaceful environment just on the Election Day is trying to show to the World the elections were democratic. All Democracy prone organizations who visited and surveyed Batticaloa before the elections warned that the conditions prevailing there are so deadly and dangerous as the armed groups backed by the Govt .are holding sway. Candidates were threatened at gun point not to contest unless under the Pillayan group banner. Violence, murders, abductions and extortions raged. Even the Paffrel Organisation admitted this, although they were of the view elections day was apparently peaceful. Paffrel also warned before elections that the situation is so dire that if UNP contests the result will be bloodshed and uncontrollable violence.

Not only the UNP even other parties like the JVP and TNA found this election as not fit for a democratic contest.

He recalled how, late President Premadasa tried to groom Vartaharaja Perumal another terror group leader to enter the political mainstream. Ultimately, Perumal reverted to his terrorist activities for an eelam. Therefore, this Govt. by nursing and nurturing a terror group for its political opportunism and selfish expediency is only courting disaster for the electors and the country though it may give a pat on its own back as having achieved its self serving end - winning an election .

- Sri Lanka Guardian