UNF minister meets Karikalan in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 February 2002, 18:55 GMT]

Mr. Thondaman (right) and Mr. Karikalan.

Mr. Arumugan Thondaman, Minister for Housing, Monday met Mr. Karikalan, the deputy leader of the LTTE's political wing, for talks on development work in the island's east coast. Speaking to the press after the meeting at the LTTE's district secretariat in Kokkaddicholai, 16 kilometres southwest of Batticaloa, Mr. Thondaman and Mr. Karikalan said that reconstruction and development programs would be identified and initiated in the war devastated region once the Memorandum of Understanding between the Colombo and the Liberation Tigers is signed.

Mr. Visu, the head of the political wing for the Batticaloa and Ampara district was also present at the discussion.

Mr. Visu (right) and Mr. Thondaman at lunch hosted by the Tigers at their district secretariat in Kokkaddicholai Monday.

Mr. Thondaman said that from the time of his grandfather, the late Mr. Saumiyamoorthy Thondaman, his party, the Ceylon Workers' Congress has been in solidarity with the struggle of the Tamils in the north and east to achieve their political aspirations.

"Our solidarity, however, could not be fruitful because, under successive governments in Colombo, my grandfather was not able to visit the north and hold discussions with the Liberation Tigers, Mr. Thondaman said. "This is the first time I have ever visited Batticaloa", he added.

Mr.Karikalan and Mr. Visu, the LTTE's political wing leader for Batticaloa and Ampara, welcoming Mr. Thondaman to the District Secretariat in Kokkaddicholai Monday (Photo:TamilNet)

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