By Walter Jayawardhana

Telling few democratically elected governments have faced terrorism as severely as Sri Lanka The Right Honourable the Lord Naseby challenged the United Kingdom to deliver money promised by the Blair government for reconstruction.

The Lord Naseby writing in the latest issue of the Royal Commonwealth Society Magazine said , “the Challenge for the UK is to deliver money promised by the Blair government for reconstruction. Those Labour MP’s who have Tamils in their constituencies should stop playing politics . They should tell the Diaspora to stop funding the Tigers so that ordinary Tamils can enjoy peace and rebuild their lives.”

The Lord Naseby , who is the Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Sri Lanka further said in the magazine that Sri Lanka has faced terrorism for over 25 years, resulting in vast devastations, that needs massive reconstructions. He said, The Tamil Tigers are elected by no one , their sole objective is to achieve Eelam at any cost. And, said he, what a cost: Prime Minister Gandhi and President Premadasa assassinated; hundreds of moderate Tamils murdered; child soldiers recruited in their hundreds to be put on the front line and killed. “No wonder these terrorists are proscribed in the US, Canada, UK, EU and other countries,” he said.

Making a strong case for Sri Lanka the Lord said, “Sri Lanka has been a valued member of the Commonwealth since independence. It was one of the original signatories to the London declaration and today holds key positions in four Commonwealth bodies.”

He reminded that Tamil Tigers were making a final stand dragging over 100,000 innocent civilians with them. The Lord said every international agency had appealed to the Tigers to release the civilians, yet still they refused. “So much for caring about the Tamil people. Few democratically elected governments face terrorism on this scale.”

The Lord Naseby further added, “yet the armed forces are disciplined : no civilian casualties were reported on the drive to Kilinochchi. Even now , there are little or no air or artillery strikes for fear of harming civilians and the Red Cross and the UN have been given access to the temporary refugee camps.”

The Lord further said, In the meantime , the government of Sri Lanka continues to take human rights seriously and the country’s talented people must be allowed to continue to serve the Commonwealth. He strongly said about some Labour Party initiated proposal to suspend Sri Lanka from the Commonwealth: “There should be no question of suspension”

Readers have been asked to send in their comments, criticisms, arguments or praise to the question “Should Sri Lanka be suspended from the Commonwealth?” to the editor of the magazine at, Joanna.bennett@thercs.org

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