PRESS RELEASE
LTTE Headquarters
Tamil Eelam
6 January 2000
LTTE ACCUSES SRI LANKA GOVERNMENT OF THE MURDER OF KUMAR PONNAMBALAM
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) wishes to express its deep
shock and profound grief over the brutal killing of Mr. Kumar
Ponnambalam, a courageous Tamil leader who fearlessly exposed the
hypocrisy of the Sinhala state and audaciously championed the cause of
the Tamil nation.
We accuse the Sri Lanka government and the Tamil quisling groups of
masterminding and executing this heinous crime to silence a brave,
daring voice of reason that defended the rights of the Tamils. Mr.
Ponnambalam's sudden death is a great and irreparable loss to the
Tamils, a monumental tragedy that has befallen the Tamil nation at a
critical historical time.
Faced with constant threat to his life and property, Mr. Ponnambalam
lived in the heart of the Sri Lankan capital and boldly challenged his
racist adversaries. His speeches and writings, which touched on
extremely controversial issues, expressed its truthfullness, genuiness,
uprightness and indomitable spirit for justice. He pleaded for the
rights and liberties of thousands of innocent Tamils in Colombo who were
subjected to constant persecution at the hands of the tyrannical Sinhala
state. He also voiced for the Tamils rights at international forums.
Mr. Ponnambalam was the only Tamil leader who openly and fearlessly
supported the armed freedom struggle of the Liberation Tigers. He
endorsed the policy of the LTTE as the authentic political project based
on the right to self-determination of the Tamil people. By his gallant
and heroic life in advancing the legitimate cause of the Tamils amidst
all dangers, Mr. Ponnambalam has earned the respect and admiration of
his people as a true Tamil patriot.
(Released by the International Secretariat of LTTE, 211 Katherine Rd,
London E6 1BU, United Kingdom. Tel : 44 20 8503 4294)
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