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By Walter Jayawardhana

Addressing a well attended press conference at the Sri Lanka High Commission at Hyde Park Gardens, in London Defence spokesman and cabinet Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that Al Qaeda has learnt the technology of the massive 1300 pound bomb exploded at the Marriot Hotel in Islamabad from Sri Lanka’s Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam ( LTTE).

“The Pakistani bomb is very similar in style to Colombo’s Central Bank truck bomb which was only less in weight,’ Rambukwella said replying a question raised by a Pakistani reporter.

Both are considered to be massive truck bombs involving suicide bombers while 91 people died in the Colombo bomb in 1996by the LTTE while 53 people died in the Marriot Hotel bomb by Al Qaeda in Islamabad, September 21.

Rambukwella said there is constant exchange of technology between terrorist groups . Earlier, terrorism experts have indicated that the current technology of a suicide jacket used by Al Qaeda was actually developed by the Tamil Tigers and later transferred to the Middle Eastern terrorist group.

Rambukwella said all should not forget that the FBI had valid reasons to call the LTTE the most vicious terrorist group of the world.

Speaking in the backdrop of certain pro-LTTE elements have brought in an anti-Sri Lanka propaganda to the Labour Party convention in Manchester Rambukwella said in general , without any reference to a political party, in the west two aspects have bought support for the Sri Lankan Tamil terrorist group.

“One reason for the support of terrorism of the LTTE is the large number of Tamil voters available in certain Western world electorates that arouse political aspirations for politicians. The other reason is some Western world politicians are corrupt and are on the payroll of the LTTE,” he said.

The Tamil Tigers give bribes and generously donate money for political campaigns Rambukwella alleged.

Rambukwella said LTTE was a large conglomerate earning millions and it had widespread network to raise funds. Such a large network cannot be brought to a zero suddenly. Rambukwella said following the LTTE’s military defeats , however, its fund raising is also becoming drastically reduced. Its supply of arms is also getting decreased, he said.

Rambukwella said before Tamil Tiger Supremo Prabhakaran started his career the Tamils were some of the island nation’s most educated and privileged. He has driven the Tamils back to the stone age, Rambukwella said. He said the terrorist group take Tamil children from schools and homes by force and make them child soldiers dreaming he could win his war.

Rambukwella stated that Sri Lanka government spends the biggest education allocation on the Western Province and the second largest allocation on the country’s North and East where most of the Tamils live. But all that goes wasted since Prabhakaran disrupts their education and take them as child soldiers.

Answering questions Rambukwella said the government did not accept the LTTE’s recently proposed ceasefire since they had broken every agreement they had reached with Sri Lanka before.

Rambukwella said Sri Lanka has gained valid experience in moving out Tamil civilians out of the dangerous war zones during the liberation of the Eastern province. he said they managed to move out 40,000 civilians during five or six days and resettled them during three months.

He said before he left the country he spoke to the Army Commander. Our security forces were only five kilometers from the Tamil Tiger stronghold of Kilinochchi. Though the recapture of the garrison town is scheduled to be at the end of the year, Rambukwella said , the army leadership is of the opinion it would be done faster than the schedule. He said, the government moved the NGO’s because no one should be able to kill them and blame it on the government. He said the government believed there were 150,00 civilians

( some others believe there are more than that) they will be moved out of the area safely to refugee camps out of the danger zone, smoothly, like they did it in Vakarai. After the liberation massive development schemes like in the Eastern province will be launched, and representative democracy introduced, Rambukwella assured.

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