Lanka to offer amnesty to LTTE

An offer of amnesty to Tamil Tiger separatists who surrender to the government is considered by the Sri Lankan government. But the offer will not be extended to Velupillai Prabhakaran, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

CJ: SOMAK SEN

Tue, May 05, 2009 11:43:38 IST

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Sri Lanka News :

THE RAJAPAKSA government in Sri Lanka is considering to offer amnesty to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels.

But Lankan administration has also cleared the fact that offer of amnesty would be given only to those, who have already laid down their arms and surrendered to the government. Lankan government declared that Velupillai Prabhakaran, the LTTE supremo would not be offered amnesty.

While speaking to the media, Mahinda Samarasinghe, the Sri Lankan human rights minister said that the government lawyers are studying the legal basis for such a move.

He further added that there would be no pardon for those involved in various attacks and killings of innocent people. The Lankan government would also not spare the offenders, involved in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, the late former Prime Minister of India.

Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on May 21, 1991, at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu, when an LTTE suicide bomber named Thenmuli Rajaratnam alias Dhanu blew herself up while touching Gandhi’s feet.

Samarasinghe also announced that the government would try their best to bring back the rebels into the main stream by imparting various vocational trainings to them.

But the rebel Tamil Tigers have promised not to surrender and they are ready to chew the cyanide capsule rather than to lay down their arms.

Interestingly, the Rajapaksa government declared that many rebel Tamil tigers have already surrendered to the Lankan armed forces and they are being treated in a good manner.

The amnesty offer came after the Lankan government was pressurised by both Britain and France for an immediate ceasefire.

David Miliband, the foreign minister of Britain and his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner visited the island nation last week and urged the Lankan president to stop the killings of innocent people in the name of curbing terrorism.

The Lankan administration was also asked by both the foreign heads of Britain and France to allow humanitarian aid into the northeastern coastal conflict zone of the island nation.

More than 70000 people were killed in the last two decades due to the old ethnic strife between Tamils and Sinhalese in the island nation.

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Posted comments (3)

	What about the parents of the Sri Lankan army personnel? Aren't they worried and getting restive with the 'in just two days' comment coming from the Sri Lankan President for quite some time? Is it worth the pain to dominate and un-dominate-able freedom loving people? Can simple superiority in arms and brutality alone allow them to overwhelm the power of sheer courage and undying spirits?
	Ved from Victoria Institutions \| 05 May 2009 Reply to Comment \| New Comment \| Report Abuse

	United states and India should send troops to Sri Lakna to save the Tamils from Genocide by the Racist Sinhalese Government of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lanka government created the LTTE with their 60 years of racism against the Tamils. The Injustice must end. Please embargo Sri Lanka, and block its IMF loan, isolate Sri Lanka in the global polity.
	Sinhalapakay a \| 05 May 2009 Reply to Comment \| New Comment \| Report Abuse