LTTE party to be dissolved

22 August 2011 04:33 pm Views - 9825

The People’s Front of Liberation Tigers (PFLT), the political party formed by the LTTE in 1989 when it began peace talks with the then government of late President R. Premadasa, will be removed from the electoral register in terms of the new procedure introduced for the recognition and registration of political parties in Sri Lanka, informed sources said today.

The LTTE appointed the organisation’s one time strongman Yogaratnam Yogi as the general secretary and its deputy leader Gopalaswami Mahendrarajah commonly known as Mahataya as the chairman. Later, Mahattaya was alleged to have been executed by the LTTE.

The PFLT has continued to be a registered political party but had not participated in active politics as such.  At the 2008 election to the Eastern Provincial Council, however, some candidates had handed over nominations on the party ticket.

“The party’s tiger symbol appeared in the ballot papers printed for three districts in the east. Nobody noticed it for objections to be raised by the time of the handing over of nominations,” informed sources said.

According to the new criteria, the parties are required to submit their report on annual accounts and conventions to the Elections Commissioner. There are several parties including the PFLT which had failed to adhere to these requirements for years now, and therefore they are to be cancelled.

The government defeated the LTTE terrorism on May 19, 2009

Meanwhile, another Tamil party called Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front (ENDLF) which is now based in India is also among the parties to be cancelled this time. This was a party registered in 1990 in Sri Lanka by splinter groups of the PLOTE and the EPRLF. They supported the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) at that time. Also, the party held some responsibilities in the North-East Provincial Council of then Chief Minister Varatharajah Perumal. Minister Douglas Devananda also tried to form an alliance with this party at that time.   The ENDLF is led by a person called Paranthan Rajan.
 
Asked for a comment on this party, former TNA MP M.K. Sivajilingam said the ENDLF is based in Bangalore, India at the moment.

He said the party was expected to participate in the conference organised by the Congress Party of India for Sri Lankan Tamil political parties to discuss matters related to Sri Lanka’s national question.
 
“On one occasion this party participated in a walk from Tamil Nadu to New Delhi, a distance of 2,500 kilometres to highlight the Tamil grievances,” he said. (By Kelum Bandara)