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JAFFNA'S CHIEF UNP CANDIDATE PRAISES PRABHAKARAN AND SAYS EPDP HELPING THE ARMY TO FIGHT TIGERS ARE QUISLINGS

By Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles

T. Maheswaran, ex M.P. and Chief candidate of the United National Party in Jaffna District praised "the struggle led by the leader of the Tigers" Velupillai Prabhakaran and all the sacrifices made for its progress, reported the Tamil Net, official news website of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Velupillai Prabhakaran is leading a secessionist movement to dismember the Indian ocean island republic of Sri Lanka for a period of nearly two decades, both under the governments of the United National Party, the party of Maheswaran and People's Alliance , which is currently holding power , under President Chandrika Kumaratunga..

The website also said Maheswaran has also condemned, the Eelam People's Democratic Party as a "quisling army" of the Sri Lanka government. Para-military units of the party are helping the Sri Lanka Army in the fight against the LTTE's secessionist movement in the Northern and Eastern provinces of the country.

The Tamil Net said, Maheswaran, candidate of the main loyal opposition party of the Sri Lanka parliament made those statement at an election campaign meeting in Nallur, Wednesday October 31, 2001.

The Jaffna leader of the United National Party is quoted to have stated, " The EPDP is a quisling army of the Sri Lankan government. The struggle led by the leader of the Tigers, Pirapaharan (Prabhakaran) and all the sacrifices made for its progress would be demeaned internationally if members of the EPDP are elected to Parliament from Jaffna."

It is not known whether Maheswaran, who is believed to be contesting the Jaffna District general election with some kind of understanding with the Tamil Tigers made those statements with the prior approval of his party or not. Earlier front organizations of the Tamil Tigers have openly declared that candidates without the consent of the rebel group would be killed and voters supporting other parties than the LTTE controlled Tamil Alliance would be reprimanded.

He has also charged that the Eelam People's Democratic Party was preparing to rig the polls in Jaffna with the connivance of the government officials.

The Tamil Net reported the ex-UNP M.P. and chief candidate of the party for Jaffna district of having said at the Nallur meeting that the EPDP, a major coalition Partner of the People's Alliance government was elected to Parliament in 1994 and 2000 fraudulently, by rigging the votes in Jaffna, and particularly in the islands.

Mr. Maheswaran alleged that the EPDP has fraudulently applied for more than 50,000 votes of Jaffna residents who have permanently left the peninsula since 1995.

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