The Tamil National Alliance is to lead a hartal in the eastern province tomorrow. TNA sources said they would lead the hartal today led by some of their parliamentarians from the eastern province. However, TNA leader R. Sambandan will be in Colombo today.
International donors cancel aid meeting with Tamil Tigers after top military officer slain
International donors have called off a key meeting with Tamil Tiger rebels to protest the assassination of a senior military officer, officials said Thursday.
Chief representatives of the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, U.N. Development Program and the International Monetary Fund in Colombo, were to fly Friday to the rebel-held town of Kilinochchi to meet with the head of the Tigers' political wing, S.P. Thamilselvan.
The meeting has been put off indefinitely as the murder this week of Maj. Nizam Muthalif made it inappropriate to hold the talks, senior officials said on condition of anonymity.
Muthalif was killed by gunmen as he sat in his car in Colombo. The government suspects rebels in the attack.
Residents in Tamil-majority areas controlled by the Tigers have complained that international aid has been slow to reach them since the devastating earthquake and tsunami of Dec. 26 killed more than 31,000 people in the country and affected 1 million others.
International donors, who pledged nearly US$3 billion (euro2.37 billion) to Sri Lanka, have been reluctant to give any funds directly to the guerrillas, who are listed as terrorists by the United States, Britain and India.
But the talks Friday were to discuss a proposed deal between the government and the rebels that will make them partners in distributing aid to the Tamil-dominated north and east.
The Tamil Tigers began fighting in 1983 for a separate homeland for ethnic Tamils in the north and east of the country, claiming discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.
The conflict killed nearly 65,000 people before the cease-fire, which has largely held despite sporadic violations and a breakdown in peace talks in 2003.
Muthalif was the highest ranking intelligence officer to be killed in the 20-year-civil war. His body was riddled with bullets and he died before doctors could operate on him.
International donors have called off a key meeting with Tamil Tiger rebels to protest the assassination of a senior military officer, officials said Thursday.
Chief representatives of the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, U.N. Development Program and the International Monetary Fund in Colombo, were to fly Friday to the rebel-held town of Kilinochchi to meet with the head of the Tigers' political wing, S.P. Thamilselvan.
The meeting has been put off indefinitely as the murder this week of Maj. Nizam Muthalif made it inappropriate to hold the talks, senior officials said on condition of anonymity.
Muthalif was killed by gunmen as he sat in his car in Colombo. The government suspects rebels in the attack.
Residents in Tamil-majority areas controlled by the Tigers have complained that international aid has been slow to reach them since the devastating earthquake and tsunami of Dec. 26 killed more than 31,000 people in the country and affected 1 million others.
International donors, who pledged nearly US$3 billion (euro2.37 billion) to Sri Lanka, have been reluctant to give any funds directly to the guerrillas, who are listed as terrorists by the United States, Britain and India.
But the talks Friday were to discuss a proposed deal between the government and the rebels that will make them partners in distributing aid to the Tamil-dominated north and east.
The Tamil Tigers began fighting in 1983 for a separate homeland for ethnic Tamils in the north and east of the country, claiming discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.
The conflict killed nearly 65,000 people before the cease-fire, which has largely held despite sporadic violations and a breakdown in peace talks in 2003.
Muthalif was the highest ranking intelligence officer to be killed in the 20-year-civil war. His body was riddled with bullets and he died before doctors could operate on him.
No comments:
Post a Comment