Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is a non-racist who even signed an agreement with LTTE Leader Prabhakaran. Nobody has the right to say that he should implement the hybrid special court. The war could have been prevented if he won the 2005 Presidential election which he lost because the Tamil community did not cast their votes, New Left Front (NLF) Dr. Wickramabahu Karunaratne said.

Addressing the media in Colombo yesterday, he said the New Left Front vehemently rejects the proposed hybrid special court requested by the UNHRC. “This is a act of defamation aimed at us who fought for democracy”.

At least six months is required for Sri Lanka to address the issue because the power of the Parliament and in other key institutions came into the hands of the revolutionists only after August 17^th. This hybrid special court was something proposed the before January 8 revolution.

According to Dr. Karunaratne, nobody can say that the same old police, judiciary, exist in Sri Lanka today because the revolutionists cleaned them all. In the past, the supporters of the former regime prevented the Parliament from passing laws, prevented the implementation of budget proposals. Only after August 17^th the real power change took place in Sri Lanka. Therefore it is wrong to say this regime ruled Sri Lanka for one year.

Dr. Karunaratne stressed that the NLF always stood for the Tamil people’s self determination right and accepts that crimes had taken place in the North during the war. Murders of Ekneligoda, Lasantha and Thajudeen should be included in war crimes because they were committed during war with the involvement of the armed forces. Sri Lanka can appoint its own court with the artists who fought for democracy, other human rights activists etc. It was the Sri Lankan people who engineered the revolution and not one or two persons. The issue can be solved within a unitary state and India did the same. There is no need for a federal system.

“All guerrilla leaders and fighters killed a large number of people and it is not something new when it comes to the LTTE Leader Prabhakaran. Even Nelson Madela killed white people and their families. The NLF condemns violence. It is not relevant for Sri Lanka to investigate the crimes committed by the LTTE. But a court case should be filed against so called patriotic persons. They were the persons who promoted racism. I ask them whether they are telling Sri Lanka to become another Israel which acts according to the requirements of the US,” he added.

Nadira Gunatilleke