05th November 2003

Her Excellency Chandrika Banadaranayake Kumaranatunga,
The President
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka,

Your Excellency,

The Sacking of Three Ministers and Suspending Sri Lanka's Parliament

The Society for Peace Unity and Human Rights for Sri Lanka (SPUR) welcomes
the decisive step taken by your Excellency to promote democracy, protect the
unitary state and the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka.

We are, as one, disgusted with the traitorous conduct of the Ranil
Wickremasinghe lead UNF Government. On 1 November 2003, Tamil Tiger
terrorists submitted the blueprint for achieving its racist Tamil Eelam to
the Government of Sri Lanka. Instead of responding firmly to the LTTE's
separatist propaganda, the UNF Government has seen it fit to focus on
impeaching the Chief Justice of the Nation, Mr Sarath Silva. While Tamil
Tiger terrorists consolidate their grip on the North and East of Sri Lanka,
the Prime Minister has decided to once again indulge in his favourite past
time of gallivanting around the world, this time to the United States of
America.

We seriously question the Prime Minster's capacity and the desire to govern
the nation to deliver lasting peace and economic affluence to its citizens.
A 60% increase in railway travel is not a sign of a Government in fiscal
control.

SPUR is dedicated to ushering in stable, long lasting just peace for all
citizens of Sri Lanka. We would like to stress on the word all as Sri
Lankans under a unitary state must be able to represent the Nation with
great pride irrespective of ethnicity or political allegiance. To this
effect, we urge you to:

(1) Sack the incompetent UNF Government and hold fresh elections or invite
the Peoples Alliance to form Government;

(2) Replace the LTTE biased Norwegian peace facilitators with a neutral team
from SAARC countries that could engender confidence; and

(3) Reconstitute the SLMM with representatives from SAARC countries under
Indian leadership.

We also request you as the President of Sri Lanka to put the interest of Sri
Lanka first, and establish without any ambiguity, conditions for resuming
peace talks with the LTTE terrorists.

We urge you to convey to the LTTE terrorists, that full compliance with
conditions set out in the MOU is required (without any exemptions) as the
minimum critical specification for having further discussions towards
achieving long lasting peace. The compliance report card could be prepared
by an eminent group of military personnel selected from SAARC countries with
the Indian representative as the Chair. This would establish the credibility
of the committee as the behaviour of Norwegian facilitators is seen as
biased in favour of LTTE terrorists.

We also plead with your Excellency to use your constitutionally vested
powers to de-merge the North and Eastern Provinces and hold a referendum
within 6 months from now to establish the views of all citizens of Sri Lanka
regarding the merits or otherwise of a merger.

(1) A decisive set of initiatives put in place by you will:

(2) Improve the confidence of the citizens of Sri Lanka that the Governing
leadership, especially the President, has Sri Lanka's interest primarily at
heart;

(3) Continue to maintain the 'peace momentum' under the guidance of the
SAARC countries that are more sympathetic to values and regional concerns
dear to South Asia;

(4) Give India its due status in the peace process as a major stakeholder;

(5) Protect the interests and the lives of Sinhalese, Muslim and Tamil
people living in the North and East of Sri Lanka; and

(6) Improve the morale of the armed forces and depoliticise its operations,
freeing courageous leaders such as the Navy Commander to carry out his
duties to protect the Nation from terrorism.

We wish to once again commend your Excellency's courageous leadership and
wait impatiently to further actions that will protect the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of our Nation.

Malin Abeyatunga

President

Society for Peace, Unity and Human Rights for Sri Lanka Inc (SPUR)

Reg : A 003 0777 M

PO Box 4066, Mulgrave VIC 3170, Australia

Phone: +61 2 9682 7864, +61 3 9548 0276

Fax: +61 2 9682 7864, +61 3 9548 0276

E-mail: ranjiths@spur.asn.au asokas@spur.asn.au

Website: http://www.spur.asn.au

Copy: Mr Mahinda Rajapaksha, Leader of the Peoples Alliance
Mr Wimal Weerawansa, Leader of the JVP
Mr Dinesh Gunewardena, Leader of the MEP
Mr Tilak Karunarathna, Leader of the Sihala Urumaya