The Guardian

Colombo, January 5:

The Tamil Tiger leadership has accused the Sri Lankan government of trying to make political propaganda out of the tsunami relief effort by exaggerating the amount of aid it is sending to Tamil-controlled areas. In a fierce attack, SP Thamilselvan, the political head of the pro-autonomy guerrillas, also called president Chandrika Kumaratunga “inhumane” for claiming they had lost too many cadres in last week’s disaster to be able to resume their struggle.

In an exclusive interview with The Guardian, Thamilselvan said he was rejecting an invitation from Kumaratunga to serve on the all-party taskforce for disaster management which she created last week. “Since no constructive steps have been taken to help the north, we believe it is a propaganda trick,’’ he said. “We think she wants the international community to believe that she is not discriminating against the north. Only a small amount of aid has started arriving here compared to the relief pouring into Colombo airport.”

While the LTTE is willing to let the government cooperate locally on relief work, it is not prepared to develop the symbolism of national unity. Thamilselvan’s comments also undermine hopes that the crisis could reduce the two sides’ suspicions and build trust.

“They want to maintain very clearly that they’re a separate entity and a state-in-being. Joining the national taskforce would look as though they’d given up those pretensions,” said Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, director of the Centre for Policy Alternatives.

The Tigers are appealing to aid agencie to send disaster relief directly. Thamilselvan said, Colombo could not be trusted. “A very negligible portion of aid has come from the government. It’s our historical experience that this region is not helped, but people expected something better after this disaster.”

Harim Peiris, the presidential spokesman in Colombo, rejected the charge that the LTTE area had been neglected.