Sri Lankan Tamils set to meet with President Mahinda Rajapaksa

Leaders of the Sri Lankan Tamil National Alliance (TNA) party will meet with President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Monday to discuss the ethnic issue, the north region of Sri Lanka and resettlement subjects.

The international Tamil community have been upset and frustrated with the actions of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Most of the Tamil people want Rajapaksa and others within his government to be prosecuted for human rights violations and war crimes.

According to Rajavayothi Sampanthan, leader of TNA, the President invited members of TNA to a meeting to discuss several issues, including the country’s north and the rehabilitation centers that see ex-combatants learn trades and adapt to the Singhalese culture, reports thePeople’s Daily Online.

“We have been invited to meet the president on Monday.”

The Colombo Page reports that five members of the Parliamentary Group would discuss resettlement and full implementation of the 13th amendment. Spokesperson Suresh Premachandran said the delegation is entering the meeting with an open mind.

“We will meet President Rajapaksa with an open mind. The TNA is not anybody's proxy. The people in the North and the East have placed confidence in us.”

What do Tamils think? Ahilan A, a Toronto Tamil activist, told Digital Journal in an e-mail that he is hopeful that something will occur but with everything that has occurred between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamils, he is still pessimistic about any positive outcome.

“The Tamils are always hopeful because that’s the only thing that we have. Are we confident something will happen from the meeting? Of course not but without hope then we’d be lost. I will always remain hopeful.”

Ahilan, who is present at most rallies held in Toronto, explained that Rajapaksa should’ve held meetings with Sri Lankan Tamil officials a long time ago. He believes that the President is only holding this meeting to “shut up” the Tamil people and to tell the international community “see, we don’t any outside interference or investigation, the Tamils and the Sinhalese are working together.”