Sirisena seeks support to defeat LTTE’s ideology


Team Udayavani, May 20, 2018, 3:00 PM IST

Colombo: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has sought support from the people to “defeat” LTTE’s ideology, warning that the now defunct Tamil separatist group’s “agents” are still working to create an independent state nine years after the end of the brutal three-decade long civil war.

Speaking at a ceremony in Colombo yesterday to mark the ninth anniversary of the war, Sirisena said although the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) had been defeated militarily, its ideology and agents are very much alive.

“We have defeated the LTTE physically and militarily but their ideology has not died. Their agents in the diaspora in the LTTE’s international network are very much alive,” he said. “They are still working to create their Eelam (separate Tamil state) dream,” he said.

He said the LTTE was still challenging the Sri Lanka government, referring to a demonstration held against him by the group’s sympathisers in London. While the government and the military commemorated the fallen soldiers at the heroes’ day in the south of the island, the Tamils in the north commemorated their war dead.

On Friday, around 5,000 people took part in the commemorative ceremony held at Mullaivaikkal in the Mullaithivu district, the scene of the final battle between the Lankan troops and the LTTE.

Except Northern Chief Minister C V Wigneswaran, no other Tamil politician had participated in the event.  Wigneswaran has declared that May 18 must be identified as Tamil genocide day in the coming years.

Tamils claim tens of thousands of civilians were killed in the final phase of the battle, a charge that is denied by the Lankan Army. Government forces killed the LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran on May 18, 2009 after a brutal military crackdown, putting an end to the 37-year long conflict, which claimed at least 1,00,000 lives.

According to UN figures, up to 40,000 civilians were killed by security forces during former president Mahinda Rajapaksas regime that brought an end to the conflict.

Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.

Top News

BJP calls Congress govt ‘laughing stock’ as ‘samosa politics’ heats up in Himachal

Chikkaballapur: Yoga teacher feigns death by holding her breath, escapes murder bid

World Bunts Summit to be held in Mumbai on December 7

SC dismisses PIL seeking CBI probe into Tirupati laddus row

Salman Khan gets another threat; message sent to Mumbai traffic police helpline

SC overrules 1967 verdict holding AMU can’t be minority institution

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, editors of Kannada news portals booked for allegedly spreading fake news

Related Articles More

‘America of your dreams calling’: Biden to Democratic supporters

Indian consulate in Canada cancels consular camps due over security issues

Hindu temple in Brampton suspends priest for spreading ‘violent rhetoric’

President Xi congratulates Trump; says China, US should find ‘right way’ to manage differences

Harris, Trump agree on importance of unifying country as they speak over phone

MUST WATCH

Gho Pooja in Deepavali Festival

Melukote Deepavali

Ganapathi Co-operative Society Ltd

Udayavani Chinnara Banna 2024

Annapoorna Aahar | Food Places In Mysore


Latest Additions

Gujarat family holds burial event for ‘lucky’ car; 1,500 people attend

New kind of ”Jihad” in Karnataka through Waqf Board, alleges Union Minister Pralhad Joshi

BJP calls Congress govt ‘laughing stock’ as ‘samosa politics’ heats up in Himachal

Chikkaballapur: Yoga teacher feigns death by holding her breath, escapes murder bid

SC notice to Centre on plea to include ayurveda, yoga in Ayushman Bharat

Thanks for visiting Udayavani

You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.