AlJazeera – Fractious Sri Lanka seeks unity
Sri Lanka’s president has called on the country’s ethnic Tamils to help ease tensions, as the country marks its first independence day since the end of a 25-year civil war.
Mahinda Rajapaksa, speaking at a ceremony in the central city of Kandy on Thursday, indicated there would be no self-determination for Tamils, but called on them to work with the government.
“Let’s solve our problems ourselves through discussions,” he said in the Tamil language.
But Suren Surendiran, a senior member of the British Tamils Forum in London, dismissed Rajapaksa’s claim to want to resolve ethnic tensions.
“He’s been saying that forever,” he told Al Jazeera.
“Mr Rajapaksa has proven to be a very opressive and discriminating president. The Tamils are not celebrating today as an independece day. Rajapkasa was not voted in in the north and east, where the Tamils are – it’s their land.” More
