Jaffna told of the latest 'best solution'
[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 October 1997, 23:59 GMT]
A government - SLA sponsored propaganda meeting was held in a public hall in Kaithady, Jaffna recently. This was part of a series of meetings organised by officials from the ministry of constitutional affairs and members of theSLFP's Sudu Nelum (White Lotus) movement with the SLA assistance to give publicity to the PA's devolution proposals among the Tamils of Jaffna.
The main speakers at the Kaithady meeting were S. Manoranjan (a senior member of the MIRJE and an activist with the UTHR and a director of the State run TV) and Mr. D .Pathirana. The audience which had been herded to the hall by the SLA was given fifteen minutes for questions at the end of the speeches. An old man from the audience sought permission for a brief observation. He told the speakers and the organisers "This is the third meeting I have witnessed in this hall to explain to us the political solution considered best for the Tamils." "First came Mr. Amirthalingam the leader of the TULF in 1981 to convince us that the District Development Councils which the TULF had secured from the J.R Jeyawardene regime was the best that the Tamil people could get. Then in 1988 the EPRLF held a meeting in this hall with the assistance of the Indian army to explain to us that the provincial councils were the best solution to the Tamil problem. And now you all have come to tell us about the PA's proposals" Having said this the old Tamil man sat down. There was no other questions from the audience. The speakers had nothing to say.
|