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TWO INTELLECTUALS SAY VOTERS IN THE EASTERN PROVINCE HAVE A CHOICE OF KEEPING IT OR HAND IT BACK TO TERRORISTSBy Walter JayawardhanaTwo leading intellectuals of the country Professor Mrs. Malini Endagama
and author Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekera said if the pro-government forces
did not win the Eastern Provincial Council elections there is a potential
danger of the province being once again subjugated by terrorist leader
Velupillai Prabhakaran. Speaking to the Independent Television Network the two intellectuals
said there is a danger of the opposition forces once again reaching
agreements with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam leader Velupillai Prabhakaran
if they happen to win. Few years ago both the United National Party leader Ranil Wickramasinghe
and Muslim Congress leader Rauff Hakeem signed secret agreements with
Prabhakaran. Professor Mrs. Malini Endagama said it should not be forgotten that
the sprawling Eastern Province which had been under the diktat of a
Fascist terrorist group was liberated by gallant soldiers at the sacrifice
of many of their lives. She said after decades, for the first time the government was able
to develop the area due to that brave liberation of the province, whose
people had been brought down to abject poverty by the arbitrary rule
of the terrorists. Under no circumstances the very liberated people
should be allowed to be falling prey to the same predators, she insisted.
She said the people of the area could be given the new light of reawakening
only by the ruling party of the country without an iota of a doubt.
Professor Endagama said, therefore, the party who liberated the people
from the LTTE and those who are engaged in the development should be
given the opportunity of continuing with their good work. Sri Lankas leading author Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekera said the Muslims
of the East should be extremely wise at this moment . Dr. Amarasekera
said the biggest question in front of them today is whether what they
have won from Prabhakaran should be retained by them or just handed
back to him on a silver platter. Dr. Amarasekera said the crucial decision
has to be resolved by the people by selecting between the people who
liberated them and the people who are conspiring with Prabhakaran to
hand back the area to him. If the wrong party is elected, Dr. Amarasekera
warned, Prabhakarans terrorism would return to the area. Then
, there is no doubt, the land won for the people of the area, through
the supreme sacrifice of the soldiers would have to be returned to the
enemy, he warned. |
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