Sri Lanka's Tamil Minister Predicts Rejection of Tamil RebelsLeader of the Eelam People's Democratic Party and Minister of Northern Development, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction, Douglas Devananda predicted Sunday that the very same Tamil people for whom the Tiger rebels claim they are fighting for will reject them, the official Daily News said.They have no hope until they laid down arms and their proscription was no barrier for them to make their presence felt at peace talks, Devananda said. Devananda told a press conference in Jaffna city in the north of the country that the rebels' aim was to cause destruction under the pretext of claiming to be the Tamil people's sole representative. The people will however shun them until they lay down arms and join the democratic mainstream with the government, he said. The minister added that while the whole country was desperately seeking peace the Tiger rebels were waging a vain struggle for a piece of the island. He said no party can claim to be the sole representatives of the people as it is for the people to decide at an election who their representative should be. An organization which has left behind a trail of harassment and devastation in the name of bringing liberation to the Tamil people will continue to be in limbo till the futility of their struggle dawns on them, he said. |
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