Tamils living abroad say LTTE destroyed Wanni Tamils

Mrs. Rajeswari Balasubramaniam, a member of the team of Sri Lankan Tamils living abroad that arrived in Sri Lanka told The Island, though the LTTE designated themselves representatives of the Lankan Tamils they had only destroyed the life of the Wanni based Tamils.

The team expressed their views to the Foreign Ministry officials a few days after their arrival in Sri Lanka.

Mrs Balasubramaniam arrived from London to join team.

"I totally reject the LTTE's stance that the Government in the guise of running welfare camps in Vavuniya is resorting to slavery. I visited these camps and realized they were better maintained than such welfare camps in South India", she said.

An old woman whom Balasubramaniam had met in one welfare camp had told her that in 1991 she gave food to the LTTE while she was in Jaffna but when she and her family attempted to escape from Tiger controlled areas she was attacked.

She described the vessel Vanagaman due to arrive from the UK as a political ruse by the LTTE. The representatives of the Tamil diaspora also placed several suggestions before Presidential Advisor and MP Basil Rajapaksa to improve the living conditions of the residents of the welfare camps.

She also warned government authorities that there could be LTTE cadres among those who live in welfare camps and therefore it is the duty of the government to prevent any recurrence of events of the past.