Relief effort is propaganda trick, say Tamil Tigers
http://www.guardian.co.uk/tsunami/story/0,15671,1383515,00.html
Fighters reject joint taskforce
Jonathan Steele in Colombo
Wednesday January 5, 2005
The Guardian
The Tamil Tiger leadership has accused the Sri Lankan government of
trying to make political propaganda out of the tsunami relief effort by
exaggerating the amount of aid it is sending to Tamil-controlled areas.
In a fierce attack, SP Thamilselvan, the political head of the
pro-autonomy guerrillas, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, also
called Sri Lanka's president, Chandrika Kumaratunga, "inhumane" for
claiming they had lost too many cadres in last week's disaster to be
able to resume the armed struggle.
In an interview with the Guardian at the LTTE headquarters in the
northern town of Kilinochchi, Mr Thamilselvan said he was rejecting an
invitation from Ms Kumaratunga to serve on the all-party taskforce for
disaster management which she created last week.
"Since no constructive steps have been taken to help the north, we
believe it is a propaganda trick," he said. "We think she wants the
international community to believe that she is not discriminating
against the north. Only a small amount of aid has started arriving here
compared to the relief pouring into Colombo airport."
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