Free civilians or face ban - President
Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa has warned that he would proscribe the LTTE unless they allow the civilians under its control to come to the government-held territory.
Mr. Rajapaksa has made the remarks at a meeting held in Presidential Secretariat to mark the end of 2008. It was attended by religious dignitaries, ministers, senior administrators and leading members of the private sector, a statement issued by the Presidential Secretariat said. The Tamil Tigers are proscribed as a terrorist outfit in the EU, USA, UK, India and Canada. President Rajapaksa has stressed that he will not sign any truce with the LTTE. "I will not agree to any ceasefire that will strengthen the LTTE in any form," he said. The president has called on other political parties, including the National Freedom Front (NFF) and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) to join the government in its efforts to defeat terrorism. Fuel prices Referring to the controversy over the fuel prices, Mr. Rajapaksa has said that the government needs revenue for development and for ongoing military offensive against the LTTE. “Any decisions on the prices of essential items had to be taken with responsibility and concern for the actual needs of the people. The needs of a mere 04 per cent of people who use petrol for cars could not supersede the needs of more than 90 % of the people who traveled by bus and train,” the statement added. Sri Lanka Supreme Court last week ordered the authorities to reduce the price of a litre of petrol to Rs. 100. The Cabinet of Ministers have decided to wait until next meeting, on the basis that the written order was not received until after the last Cabinet meeting on Thursday. However, Lanka Indian Oil Company on Friday told BBC Sandeshaya that it has received the Supreme Court order and it was obeying it from Friday night. “President Rajapaksa said that the government always respected the orders of the courts, even when they went against some of the policies that were being implemented to combat terrorism,” the statement said. President Rajapaksa has stressed that the function of good government required proper understanding among the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary. “The Executive should not try to grab the powers of the Legislature, and likewise the other arms of government should also not seek to grab the powers of any other”.