LTTE leader delivers Heroes Day address

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 November 1997, 23:59 GMT]
In his annual Heroes day speech, the LTTE leader Mr. V. Pirabakaran said that the Sri Lankan government's devolution package was a political ploy staged to justify the strategic aims of its military campaign in the Tamil homelands. Mr. Pirabakaran's speech was broadcast on the Voice of Tigers radio today.

Mr. Pirabakaran's traditonal Heroes Day speech was delivered on the final day of the Maveerer (Heroes) week.

He saluted the LTTE war dead for their 'supreme sacrifice' and condemned the desecration of Tiger graves by Sri Lankan troops following the capture of the Jaffna peninsula.

Mr. Pirabakaran rejected the Sri Lankan government's devolution package, saying that it 'fails to address the basic national aspirations of the Tamils'.

He said that the 'recognition of the Tamil homeland, Tamil nationhood and the Tamil right to self-determination' were key to a political solution.

He said that the package had been 'severely watered down in its scope and content [from the orginal draft]' and that the Chandrika government 'lacked the political will and commitment to resolve the conflict peacefully.'

The LTTE leader said that the proposals were merely 'a political drama' intended to 'justify the...war [internationally]' and were the 'other face of the [SL government's] military solution'.

He said the LTTE was committed to a peaceful resolution, citing the several previous negotiations, and said that the talks had failed due to the 'irreconcilable and intransigent attitudes' of Sinhala governments.

He warned that the Sri Lankan government's military campaigns would 'never end the Tamil freedom movement' and said that freedom 'was not a concession...from the enemy but a sacred right'.

Finally, he called on the Tamil people to 'continue to struggle until we realise our goal of freedom'.