President attacks anti-peace monks
President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumartunga says politicians in Colombo and Buddhists monks who preach war do not go either to war or at least to the border villages.
"But they oppose peace and call for the war." Addressing a gathering in Polonnaruwa after declaring open the "Pulathisi Daruwo" exhibition in Polonnnaruwa Royal College, President Kumaratunga made a scathing attack on anti-peace forces. The exhibition was a showcase of student talent from the Polonnaruwa district that borders LTTE held territory. In an apparent criticism on the Buddhist clergy who oppose a joint mechanism between the government and the Tamil Tigers for tsunami rehabilitation in the North and East, the president said that monks who preach war do not know the suffering of the border villagers. "Did those monks or the politicians come to see you when you were suffering from constant attacks and fear?" Joint Mechanism Describing the joint mechanism between the government and the LTTE for tsunami reconstruction as "Tsunami Relief Machinery", she said "it opens a path to get the Tamil Tigers back to a peaceful, democratic process". President Kumaratunga has told Former US President and United Nations Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery Bill Clinton that she was very committed to establishing the proposed joint administrative machinery. The presidential secretariat quoted Clinton, who visited tsunami affected east on Saturday, as saying that the proposed joint mechanism is "a commendable idea,". "The President said this was not a part of the peace process, but that she believed it would help move the stalled peace process forward." the presidential secretariat said in a statement. The President on Saturday referred to the resistance to the mechanism from some members of the ruling alliance, apprehensions of the Muslim community and the silence maintained by the main opposition party the UNP. Referring to opposition to a negotiated settlement with the Tamil Tigers the president told the gathering on Sunday, "We do not have time to listen to that nonsense anymore."