TNA extends olive branch to TULF, PLOTE, EPRLF
NATION WEEKLY
Thursday, 11 June 2009


In a strange turn of events, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which was earlier firmly behind the LTTE, has now made overtures to the moderate Tamil parties like the TULF, the PLOTE and the EPRLF (Padmanabha wing) in the run-up to the Municipal elections in Jaffna and Vavuniya.

TNA Parliamentarian N. Srikantha told The Nation yesterday, that they have already held informal discussions with the Democratic Tamil National Alliance (DTNA), comprising the TULF, PLOTE and the EPRLF, to arrive at a common position, on a viable and just political solution to the ethnic problem.
Asked whether the exact aim was to form an electoral pact for the forthcoming local election, Srikantha claimed they had not thought of it.

The TNA Jaffna District Parliamentarian, said they would go for formal talks with the DTNA after their leader R. Sampandan, and two other Parliamentarians who are now in Chennai, return in the next few days.
The DTNA members in general, however, are hostile to having any dealing with the TNA, with TULF Leader V. Anandasangaree, who is the secretary of DTNA vowing not to touch them with a bamboo pole. I don`t want to have anything to do with them.

Anandasangaree contacted in this regard, said he would rather quit politics than have anything to do with, the worst traitors to the Tamil community.

He said despite all his pleadings, the TNA was the only party that did not call on the LTTE to release the Tamil civilians it was holding as human shields. Because of them we have to now watch 10-year-old Tamil boys being fingerprinted like common criminals. Those children are scarred for life, he said.

When pressed from PLOTE Leader Dharmalingam Sithadthan whether it is not better to forget the past for the sake of the people, he said they could not ignore the past. What we have to see is whether we can redeem the past or not. In any case there is no need to rush.