Aussie MP meets Jaffna LTTE political head

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 October 2003, 15:57 GMT]
Australian parliamentarian Mr. Alan Griffin Wednesday held discussions with the Jaffna district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Mr.C.Ilamparuthi, the women's political wing head, Ms. Kalaivizhi, and activist Mr.Manivannan at the district political office of the LTTE located at Kokkuvil, sources said.

Mr. Alan Griffin was accompanied by 3rd secretary of the Australian High Commission in Colombo, Mr. William Kervis, and the New Zealand foreign ministry official, Mr. Keith Locke, sources said.

The LTTE political activists briefed Mr. Griffin that Tamil people in the northeast province have not benefited from the ceasefire agreement signed by the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE about twenty months ago, sources said.

One third of the land mass in the Jaffna district is still being occupied by the Sri Lanka Army in the name of high security zones and, as a result, thousands of displaced families are languishing in refugee camps and welfare centres unable to return to their lands and houses. Fisher families suffer as their freedom of fishing has been restricted by the Sri Lanka Navy, the sources quoted the LTTE political activists as telling Mr.Griffin.



(L-R) Mr. Ilamparuthy, Mr. Keith Locke, MP, New Zealand, Mr. Allan Griffin MP, Australia,and Mr. William Kervis, Third Secretary (Political) Australian High Commission in Colombo.