Lifting ban a security threat –Joint Opposition
Monday, November 23, 2015
The Joint Opposition yesterday expressed its total and vehement opposition to the government's decision to deproscribe eight Diaspora Groups and 269 individuals, after being determined by the previous regime as having alleged links with the LTTE.
They, in individual interviews with Ceylon Today, also said in unison and in combination, the move could not only lead to national security threats but also to separatism. The new Gazette which was issued last Friday, further to earlier Gazette of March 2014 which proscribed eight organizations are the Global Tamil Forum (GTF), the British Tamil Forum (BTF), Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC), the Australian Tamil Congress (ATC), National Council for Tamil Ealam (NCTE), Tamil National Council (TNC), Tamil Youth Organization (TYO) and the World Tamil Coordinating Committee (WTCC).
Former External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris said: "This move is a definite threat to national security. The government itself has admitted that during the period between 2012 and 2014, there have been three attempts by the Diaspora to reactivate terrorism in Sri Lanka.
Prof. Peiris said: "These are persons who are unsuitable for immediate rehabilitation and the deproscription of these organizations and the 269 individuals comes in the wake of delivering the election promises and without paying any heed to national security.
This is also a welcome gift for United States Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, the policy of the government being to please foreign powers with scant regard for national security and welfare of this country.
Leader of the National Freedom Front and Colombo District MP Wimal Weerawansa said: "This is a very serious situation which has emerged by the action of the government which will pose a serious security threat to the country, which would also pave the way for separatism as well. These are pledges which the government promised at election on which President Maithripala Sirisena rode to power and that itself has compromised the security interests of the country.
LSSP General Secretary Prof. Tissa Vitharana said: "This is a very serious situation. When you look at the larger picture, there were 12,000 LTTE detainees who were rehabilitated and restored to civilian life, but this is in the context of the smaller group of hard core criminal elements who need to be investigated and that process needs to be expedited.
On the other hand, the government has caved into international pressures and those of the Northern political leadership and there is always the risk of separatism in the not too distant future. This is not a matter which should have been rushed into, but, properly investigated into and resolved through the judicial process".
MEP Leader and Colombo District UPFA MP Dinesh Gunawardena said: "The basis on which the government is acting after the Geneva surrender is most surprising. The deproscription of the suspects and the organizations which were proscribed under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) is a very serious one.
It was obligatory on the part of the government to keep Parliament and the All Party Conference which are both sitting now, informed. It is also up to the government to make a clear statement on what actions they propose at least in the future", the MEP leader said.
Communist Party General Secretary D.E.W. Gunasekera said: "This was a bad decision which has been taken by the government and it should also take the responsibility of any serious situation arises in terms of national security and separatism." Kalutara District UPFA MP Kumara Welgama also echoed the same sentiments, claiming that the move would result in security threats and steps towards separatism.
Ceylon Today