04-20-2004, 04:19 PM
Tamil Tiger leader briefs new MPs
<b>By Frances Harrison
BBC correspondent in Colombo</b>
<b>The Tamil Tiger leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, has briefed 22 Tamil MPs elected earlier this month in Sri Lanka.</b>
The briefing took place in advance of the MPs taking up their positions in parliament when it opens on Thursday.
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MPs have made no secret of their loyalty to the rebels.
Their success in the polls gives the Tigers a sizeable vote block in parliament for the first time.
'Self-governing authority'
Reports from rebel headquarters say that Mr Prabhakaran told the parliamentarians to pressurise the Sri Lankan government on resuming peace talks.
The Tiger leader advised them to promote the proposal of the rebels for an interim self-governing authority for the north-east of the island.
The rebel leader is also reported to have said he thought the dispute with the breakaway Tiger commander, Colonel Karuna, in the east of Sri Lanka ended faster than he had expected.
The two sides started fighting ten days ago, but Mr Prabhakaran said pressure from the parents of fighters there had helped to bring about a quick end to the dispute.
MPs who took part in the two-hour long talks with the Tiger leader said they did not discuss how to behave in parliament or which party's candidate they should back for the post of speaker when the house sits on Thursday.
They said they would wait and see whether the Buddhist monks' party will put up their candidate for speaker and then decide on the day who to back.
One MP, Ravi Raj, said he planned to use the parliament as a stage to voice Tamil nationalism.
Another, Sivanandan Kishore, said if they failed in parliament he would resign and join the rebels.
What is interesting is how seriously the Tamil Tigers seem to be taking their de facto representation in parliament.
Tuesday's meeting included not only the Tiger leader, but their intelligence chief, police chief, political wing head, district political leaders and senior military commanders.
The Tigers openly campaigned for their proxies during the election and now they are in the peculiar position of controlling the third largest party in the Sri Lankan parliament.
<b>By Frances Harrison
BBC correspondent in Colombo</b>
<b>The Tamil Tiger leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, has briefed 22 Tamil MPs elected earlier this month in Sri Lanka.</b>
The briefing took place in advance of the MPs taking up their positions in parliament when it opens on Thursday.
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MPs have made no secret of their loyalty to the rebels.
Their success in the polls gives the Tigers a sizeable vote block in parliament for the first time.
'Self-governing authority'
Reports from rebel headquarters say that Mr Prabhakaran told the parliamentarians to pressurise the Sri Lankan government on resuming peace talks.
The Tiger leader advised them to promote the proposal of the rebels for an interim self-governing authority for the north-east of the island.
The rebel leader is also reported to have said he thought the dispute with the breakaway Tiger commander, Colonel Karuna, in the east of Sri Lanka ended faster than he had expected.
The two sides started fighting ten days ago, but Mr Prabhakaran said pressure from the parents of fighters there had helped to bring about a quick end to the dispute.
MPs who took part in the two-hour long talks with the Tiger leader said they did not discuss how to behave in parliament or which party's candidate they should back for the post of speaker when the house sits on Thursday.
They said they would wait and see whether the Buddhist monks' party will put up their candidate for speaker and then decide on the day who to back.
One MP, Ravi Raj, said he planned to use the parliament as a stage to voice Tamil nationalism.
Another, Sivanandan Kishore, said if they failed in parliament he would resign and join the rebels.
What is interesting is how seriously the Tamil Tigers seem to be taking their de facto representation in parliament.
Tuesday's meeting included not only the Tiger leader, but their intelligence chief, police chief, political wing head, district political leaders and senior military commanders.
The Tigers openly campaigned for their proxies during the election and now they are in the peculiar position of controlling the third largest party in the Sri Lankan parliament.
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