04-20-2004, 03:44 PM
Sri Lanka 's Buddhist monks accuse government of failing to crush Tamil Tiger rebels
Associated Press, Tue April 20, 2004 08:48 EDT . - - COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) A group of influential Buddhist monks Tuesday accused the Sri Lankan government of a ``great betrayal,'' by failing to exploit a split in the Tamil Tiger rebel movement to crush the guerillas. The monks are vehemently opposed to the Norwegian-brokered peace process with the Tiger rebels and any concessions to the Tigers aimed at ending Sri Lanka - 's two-decade civil war that has killed nearly 65,000 people.
The monks said President Chandrika Kumaratunga, instead of backing the breakaway faction, had sided with the mainstream rebel group led by supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran to secure the support of 22 Tamil lawmakers who are proxies of the main Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam.
``Our leaders are only interested in their own survival and not the country. They helped Prabhakaran to crush the rebellion within his group,'' Sobitha said, ``This is a great betrayal of the nation.''
The LTT cracked down last week on a rebel faction led by Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, killing more than 30 fighters, including child soldiers. Muralitharan disbanded his 6,000 fighters out of the 15,000-strong rebel army on March 12 in a dispute over regional rivalry and political strategy.
``Even if the government did not want to support the renegades, they should have remained neutral and enforced law and order,'' said monk Ellawela Medananda, accusing the military of allowing Prabhakaran's fighters to enter areas and attack the breakaways.
The monks' hard-hitting statements come ahead of a crucial vote on Thursday for the appointment of the Parliament speaker the first test for Kumaratunga's party who won the election but failed to secure a governing majority.
Support of the National Heritage Party can tilt the balance of power and the president's alliance could fail to secure the key speaker's position if the monks refrain from voting in the secret ballot. Some 70 percent of Sri Lanka - 's 19 million people are Buddhists, and the monks party says their religion is threatened by the spread of Western materialism and the influence of the guerillas.
Associated Press, Tue April 20, 2004 08:48 EDT . - - COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) A group of influential Buddhist monks Tuesday accused the Sri Lankan government of a ``great betrayal,'' by failing to exploit a split in the Tamil Tiger rebel movement to crush the guerillas. The monks are vehemently opposed to the Norwegian-brokered peace process with the Tiger rebels and any concessions to the Tigers aimed at ending Sri Lanka - 's two-decade civil war that has killed nearly 65,000 people.
The monks said President Chandrika Kumaratunga, instead of backing the breakaway faction, had sided with the mainstream rebel group led by supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran to secure the support of 22 Tamil lawmakers who are proxies of the main Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam.
``Our leaders are only interested in their own survival and not the country. They helped Prabhakaran to crush the rebellion within his group,'' Sobitha said, ``This is a great betrayal of the nation.''
The LTT cracked down last week on a rebel faction led by Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, killing more than 30 fighters, including child soldiers. Muralitharan disbanded his 6,000 fighters out of the 15,000-strong rebel army on March 12 in a dispute over regional rivalry and political strategy.
``Even if the government did not want to support the renegades, they should have remained neutral and enforced law and order,'' said monk Ellawela Medananda, accusing the military of allowing Prabhakaran's fighters to enter areas and attack the breakaways.
The monks' hard-hitting statements come ahead of a crucial vote on Thursday for the appointment of the Parliament speaker the first test for Kumaratunga's party who won the election but failed to secure a governing majority.
Support of the National Heritage Party can tilt the balance of power and the president's alliance could fail to secure the key speaker's position if the monks refrain from voting in the secret ballot. Some 70 percent of Sri Lanka - 's 19 million people are Buddhists, and the monks party says their religion is threatened by the spread of Western materialism and the influence of the guerillas.
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