Top official: Tamil Diaspora realizes importance of working with the State

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Top official: Tamil Diaspora realizes importance of working with the StateJune 29, 2010, 7:24 am
By Shamindra Ferdinando

In a post-LTTE era, the government and the Tamil Diaspora can work for the betterment of the Tamil speaking people. Commenting on an unprecedented rapport between the government and the Tamil Diaspora, which at one-time backed the LTTE, a senior official told The Island: "They have realised the importance of working with the government than supporting an unattainable cause. By quitting their Eelam project and throwing their weight behind ongoing rehabilitation, reconstruction and resettlement efforts, an influential section of the Tamil Diaspora showed its readiness to work for the future.
Responding to a query by The Island, the official emphasised that the willingness of Kumaran Padmanathan aka ‘KP’, one-time LTTE heavyweight and some members of the Diaspora to support the government efforts should not be a political issue.
Now, that the LTTE’s military capability had been eradicated, the Tamil Diaspora and the government could work together, he said.
External Affairs Ministry sources said that an understanding between the government and the Diaspora could be the key to thwarting a fresh attempt to revive the LTTE.
Sources said that there was general understanding that Tamil political parties and the government could work together in a post-LTTE era, though some feel the Diaspora may overshadow political parties. Sources said that the Diaspora factor could not be ignored and the post-LTTE rehabilitation issues discussed in isolation.