Ex-LTTE cadres will never again join a terror outfit – Minister Muralitharan to LLRC

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Ex-LTTE cadres will never again join a terror outfit – Minister Muralitharan to LLRC
'Tamil diaspora should help IDPs than shout slogans' The LTTE could not be revived and the former LTTE cadres would never want to join a terrorist outfit of the nature of the Tigers as they had suffered enough and more, Deputy Minister of Resettlement Vinayagamoorty Muralitharan said.
Giving evidence before the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission yesterday (13) he said that some sections of the Tamil diaspora didn’t understand the present situation in the country. Rather than shouting slogans, they can collect money and help IDPs in Sri Lanka, he pointed out.
Economic and educational development along with equal rights to the people could bring harmony among all communities, he said adding, the Government has launched many developments projects including vocational training and rehabilitation in the North and Eastern Provinces.
Responding to questions, Muralitharan told the Commission that in Sri Lanka, police powers need not be devolved to provincial councils and it was an unreasonable demand.
"But we will have to devolve power through the provincial councils to the North and the East," he said.
Answering queries by LLRC member he said that when 600 policemen were massacred during 1989, he was in Jaffna.
”The LTTE basically used foreign money to buy weapons. Through the TRO they earned a lot of money. Those countries knew clearly that the LTTE used the money for purchasing weapons,” he said.
The rehabilitated LTTE cadres were fully occupied and they were living peacefully, the Deputy Minister said.
People in the Wanni were yearning for peace and would not want to have another war as they had gone through untold suffering," he said.The Deputy Minister said the slain LTTE leader Prabhakaran had been solely responsible for the LTTE’s debacle as he didn’t heed anyone’s advice and acted on his own accord where crucial matters were concerned and eventually thousands of people had to pay with their life and limb.
“The LTTE killed a lot of Sinhala people. They also killed Tamil people and several intellectuals. I talked with Prabhakaran and said we have achieved nothing. We should agree with the Government. I tried several times to correct him but he never agreed. He never agreed. I told them I don’t like to fight. The LTTE never wanted peace. When they are weak, they ask for peace. They were never committed to peace. They purposely spoiled peace talks, he said.
"Many in the LTTE were unhappy with Prabhakaran and he thought he was a ‘duke’ and didn’t heed the advice given by others," he said.
"Prabhakaran discriminated against the Eastern cadres and I left the Wanni with 6,000 cadres as I knew that we were just sitting ducks," the former LTTE military commander said.
Speaking about the final stage of the war he said that no war crimes took place. If the LTTE was the freedom fighters, they claimed to be, they should have never held human shield. They kept 300,000 people as human shield. The Government had to save these people from the LTTE clutches.
Courtesy : President's Media Unit

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