Tamil Tigers Must End Terrorism, U.S Envoy Camp Says

Bloomberg

May 17 (Bloomberg) -- Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels must abandon terrorism if they want to bring peace to the South Asian island nation where escalating violence is threatening a return to civil war, U.S. envoy Donald Camp said.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam ``should readdress its methods and should abandon terrorism,'' Camp, the U.S. principal deputy assistant secretary for South Asian affairs, said yesterday during a visit to Sri Lanka. ``That's the only way it can really have a future in a united Sri Lanka.''

The U.S. wants the European Union to list the LTTE as a terrorist organization as a means of cutting off financial aid and weapons supplies, Camp said in a television interview, according to a transcript from the U.S. Embassy in Colombo. The U.S. designated the group a terrorist organization in 1997.

Sri Lanka's peace process is being threatened by attacks that have continued almost daily since the government and the LTTE held their first meeting in three years in Geneva in February. The U.S., along with Japan, the EU and Norway, leads a group of donor nations that have pledged $4.5 billion in aid on condition progress is made toward peace in Sri Lanka.

``The LTTE is a terrorist group of the first order,'' Camp said. ``The LTTE should not be proud of its claim to be the originator of suicide bombings as a tactic.''

Tamil Grievances

Sri Lanka's government has the responsibility of addressing the ``legitimate grievances'' of the Tamil people, Camp said. Tamils make up less than a fifth of the population of 20 million. The rebels say Tamils are discriminated against by the mostly Buddhist Sinhalese majority.

The government must also investigate ``promptly and thoroughly'' the killings of civilians in recent months. The Tamil Tigers accuse the government of supporting paramilitary groups that are killing Tamil civilians, a charge the administration has denied.

Camp called on both sides to try to end the violence and return to peace talks.

At least two soldiers were killed in two separate rebel claymore mine attacks in eastern Sri Lanka today, military spokesman Prasad Samarasinghe said by telephone.

The LTTE yesterday accused the army of killing one of its members when soldiers advanced beyond the demarcation line declared under a 2002 cease-fire accord and of shelling rebel positions near Vavuniya, TamilNet reported. The army said a member of the home guard was killed yesterday in a mine attack near the eastern port of Trincomalee.

International Monitors

International monitors overseeing the 2002 cease-fire suspended their operations at sea after a rebel attack last week on a troop-carrying vessel that killed 17 Sri Lankan sailors.

The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission said yesterday in an e- mailed statement it is seeking ``some requirements'' from the government and rebels before it will resume its work at sea. It didn't elaborate.

The mission, comprising Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland, said after the May 11 attack the LTTE is violating the cease-fire by operating its navy vessels. The LTTE says its navy forces existed before the truce was signed and contribute to the balance of power.

Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse said in a newspaper interview over the weekend his government is still committed to the cease-fire, Agence France-Presse reported at the time. Rajapakse said the military will defend itself if the rebels continue their attacks on government forces.

The Tamil Tigers have been fighting since 1983 for a separate homeland in the north and east of the country, in a conflict that has killed more than 60,000 people. They pulled out of talks that were to have opened in Geneva April 24 because of travel restrictions on their officials and the renewed violence.

The U.K. and India also consider the LTTE to be a terrorist organization.

To contact the reporters on this story:
Paul Tighe in Sydney at ptighe@bloomberg.net;
Anusha Ondaatjie in Colombo at anushao@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: May 17, 2006 03:35 EDT