25-01-2008

Pillayan, Blake clash over Batti elections

Pillayan says envoy’s claims baseless
US envoy fears election will be marred by violence

By Easwaran Rutnam

The TMVP and Colombo’s US envoy Robert Blake were at strong odds yesterday after the latter had raised concerns over conducting a free and fair poll in the East due to the presence of paramilitaries including the TMVP.

Speaking at a ceremony in Batticaloa on Wednesday the US envoy said the polls marked an important opportunity for the people to have their first elected representative but unchecked paramilitary activity also discouraged private investment that will be crucial to the future of the east.

“Free and fair elections cannot be held if one party is allowed to bear arms and intimidate and threaten voters and other contestants. The United States believes that paramilitaries including the TMVP must not be allowed to carry arms but should instead compete with the strength of their words rather than the threat of a bullet,” he said.

Ambassador Blake stressed free and fair election without violence would help stabilise the Batticaloa region and give its inhabitants new promise and hope for a secure and prosperous future.

However TMVP’s acting head Pillayan responded by lashing out at the US envoy saying his comments and assertions over the upcoming poll were baseless and made without assessing the actual ground situation in Batticaloa.

“If he is keen on democracy for the East he should meet us and get a clear picture of the ground situation and the issues faced by us before making public statements. We respect the concerns of the international community but do not welcome anyone branding us without understanding the reality,” Mr. Pillayan told the Daily Mirror.

The TMVP head, while accepting that he had a military unit, was of the view the international community had fallen prey to LTTE propaganda by making assertions that the TMVP would contest the polls by intimidating other candidates and voters.
“We will not go by the barrel of the gun but will contest democratically. If one says those contesting the Eastern polls should be disarmed then no one can contest because almost all the political parties contesting this election have arms. The only difference is that we openly admit it but use it only against the LTTE and for our security,” Mr. Pillayan stressed.

Mr. Pillayan said the upcoming election was important, not just for the TMVP which was this week registered as a political party, but also for the people of Batticaloa. Several organisations including the New York based Human Rights Watch (HRW) have alleged that the TMVP was involved in assassinations, intimidation and abductions even after the defection of Karuna Amman to London.

Source-Daily Mirror