Soldiers and Tamil prisoners not equal: Sumanthiran

2018-09-19

In reference to the request by Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka to grant a general amnesty to the LTTE cadres and military personnel involved in war-related crimes, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said today that the two groups could not be equated at all.

Making his remarks on this matter, TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran told the Daily Mirror that Tamil political prisoners had been arrested and held up for long years.

He said their cases were not over. “They are being dragged on,” he said.

He said these prisoners had been arrested on confessions made by them and detained for a long time.

However, he said the unidentified atrocities perpetrated by the military could not be equated with those of Tamil political prisoners.

MP Sumanthiran said there should be a truth-seeking mechanism in place to trace the kind of crimes committed before considering any amnesty. (Kelum Bandara)