LEADER OF THE MODERATE TAMILS IN SRI LANKA SAYS LTTE HAS ASSASSINATED A CHAMPION OF MINORITY RIGHTS IN THE COUNTRY

By Walter Jayawardhana

The Tamil Tigers have foolishly killed a person whom they could have made use of to achieve anything other than to divide the country for which he was totally against lamented V. Ananda Sangaree, President of the Tamil United liberation Front (TULF) , who is considered the leader of the moderate Tamils in Sri Lanka.

He was commenting on the alleged perpetrators of the assassination and the victim of the suicide bomb killing, Highways Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, a member of a minority Tamil group in the country.

“The fact that he had been repeatedly elected in a predominantly Buddhist constituency, although a catholic, goes to his credit showing to the world that he was loved and respected by all sections to the People in this country irrespective of one’s race or religion”, Sangaree said in a statement..

Sangaree said Fernandopulle was championing the cause of minorities without fear and his views on the ethnic question were fair and clear.

Following is the full statement of the leader of the TULF:

“The tragic news of the assassination of Hon. Jeyaraj Fernandopulle came as a rude shock to me. He was my good friend and onetime colleague of mine in Parliament. He was a very frank and out spoken person who expresses his views without mincing words. The fact that he had been repeatedly elected in a predominantly Buddhist constituency, although a catholic, goes to his credit showing to the world that he was loved and respected by all sections to the People in this country irrespective of one’s race or religion.

“He had been championing the cause of the minorities without fear. He loved all and worked hard to bring normalcy back to our People. On the ethnic question his views were very fair and acceptable to the right thinking people. He was a gentleman par excellence.

“The LTTE had foolishly targeted a person whom they could have made use of to achieve anything other than a division of the country for which he was totally opposed. It is a pity that a gentleman who had proved himself as a great son of the soil and an asset of the Nation had been snatched away prematurely depriving the country of his contributions for peace.

“I share the grief with his dear wife, his beloved children, his wide circle of friends and his constituents, all of whom miss him. I also express my deepest sympathies for the unfortunate kith and kin of all the victims of this mass scale assassination under taken by a misled foolish youth.”