Trinco group warns against fragmenting Tamil vote

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 October 2001, 18:50 GMT]
The three opposition Tamil parties, Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) and the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), should join hands to regain the Tamil parliamentary representation in Trincomalee district which was lost in October 2000 general election, said a statement issued by the People Development Association (PDO) in Trincomalee Monday. The EPDP, however, says that it will contests the elections alone, in the eastern districts.

"We are also urging the EPDP not to undermine the interests of the Tamil people of Trincomalee by dividing their vote in favour of Sinhala hegemonists who want to eventually make us refugees in our own land," a spokesman for the PDO said.

The PDO, a pressure group comprising students, undergraduates and professionals said that at the last general election Tamils in Trincomalee completely lost their Parliamentary representation in October 2000 because their vote was divided by many Tamil parties and independent groups.

"At the forthcoming general election all Tamil parties should see that the same mistake should not be repeated. Therefore the PDO appeals that the TULF, TELO and ACTC -the three parties which have been agitating for the cause of Tamil people vehemently in and out of parliament in one voice- should form an alliance and must contest Trincomalee under one banner and one symbol", the PDO statement said.

The PDO suggested that Tamils should avoid contesting in the Trincomalee district as candidates of the Sinhala dominated political parties as it would cause irreparable damage to the aspirations of Tamil people.