June 10, 2007
Sri Lanka Takes Responsibility
for Tamils' Expulsion
Colombo
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake Sunday took full
responsibility for the government's decision to throw the Tamils
from the capital expressing regrets that the expulsion "should never
have been done".
Facing criticism from right groups and Indian Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh expressing concern, Wickramanayake said: "We accept
responsibility. I express regret and apologise to the Tamil
community on behalf of the government."
Dismissing claims by the country's police chief Victor Perera that
there was no "forceful expulsion" of Tamils, the prime minister
termed the police action "wrong".
"What happened is wrong," Wickramanayake said rejecting the police
chief's statement posted on the defence ministry website Sunday
defending the police action.
"You cannot justify it under any circumstances," the prime minister
said adding, "We want to tell the Tamil people that everyone has a
right to live anywhere."
He said the government would also consider compensation for the
Tamils who were forcibly removed although no compensation scheme was
immediately announced.
Last week, government forces rounded up 376 Tamils who they
described as temporary residents in Colombo, and sent them to the
northern and eastern regions as a security precaution amid a
worsening ethnic conflict that has claimed more than 5,000 lives in
19 months.
Soon after the Supreme Court ordered an end to the expulsions, 186
of them were brought back to the capital while others elected to
return to their hometowns, said Rohan Abeywardana, a senior police
official.
About a quarter of Colombo's 800,000 residents are Tamils with
another 200,000 are temporary residents.
Violence has been continuing unabated in the island republic in
recent months, despite a 2002 ceasefire and multiple attempts by
European and Japanese envoys to persuade the government and
separatist Tamil rebels to return to peace talks.
On Saturday, government troops and Tamil rebels exchanged fire in
the northern Vavuniya district but there were no casualties,
military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said.
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