New Delhi
11 September 2010
In an exclusive interview to this newspaper, Sri Lankan defence secretary
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said elements sympathetic to the LTTE were keeping up their
propaganda but the Lankan government's outreach to the Tamil diaspora is beginning to
pay dividends.
Many in the diaspora are showing interest in becoming stakeholders in the post-conflict
socio-economic development process. Some of them are also collaborating with
Selvarajah Pathmanathan alias Kumaran Pathmanathan or KP to raise funds and
channel them to their kith and kin in the northern and eastern provinces.
KP, who had taken over the leadership of the LTTE following the death of its supremo
Velupillai Prabhakaran, was arrested and taken to Sri Lanka where he is in the custody of
government agencies.
Mr Rajapaksa said the LTTE had spread the propaganda that the Lankan military killed
people who wanted to surrender but KP is a good example that the propaganda was not
true.
"I have spoken to KP to show what we are doing and I'm sure he genuinely is convinced
that the only way we can move forward is by working with the government," he noted.
So will KP be given amnesty? "Yes, of course, it (amnesty) is possible," said Mr
Rajapaksa. KP is allowed to travel on the island but his movements are restricted
because of security concerns.
Some Tamil diaspora groups were invited to visit the island and see the ground reality
for themselves.
"We allowed them to visit Jaffna, Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi and speak to the people. All
of them had come with a different understanding of the situation but once they came here
they were completely changed and they are willing to work with us for the betterment of
their community. We are continuing to bring leaders of the diaspora from various
countries," he said.
The Lankan government has encouraged the members of the diaspora to form a non-
government organisation (NGO) for collecting funds if they did not want to route them
through government channels.
Mr Rajapaksa, who is the brother of the Sri Lankan President, attributed Sri Lanka's
military victory over the LTTE to political will and leadership. "There was the question of
attitude. Few believed we could defeat the LTTE, but the President was able to convince
the country," he recalled.
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