Anandasangaree rejects LTTE 'sole representative' claim

Mar 2 (IL) Amidst a declaration by the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) General Secretary R. Sampanthan that the Tamil National Alliance's aim at the election is to prove to the International Community that the LTTE is the sole representative of the Tamils, his rival V. Anandasangaree, who is also the leader of the TULF said that he would continue to fight for the rights of his community without being intimidated by any force.

Anandasangaree who has openly clashed with the LTTE also charged that certain acts of several top TULFers had severely tarnished the image of the TULF. He said that certain top members were merely proxies of certain powerful elements.

But Mr. Anandasangaree expressed his confidence that the people in the North would overcome the anti-progressive elements and elect him as their representative. The TULF leader said that his political freedom and the democratic freedom of the people of the north had been endangered due to the Tamil Tiger rebels.

Mr. Anandasangaree who has decided to contest the election from Jaffna independently mainly due to differences with certain party members due to their strong affiliation with the LTTE, also said that he was taking a big risk by his decision to contest alone. "I am having problems even in connection to holding public meetings due to intimidation by 'certain' elements," he said.

Meanwhile Mr. Sampanthan, who is also the leader of the Trincomalee district for the TNA has also stressed that the TNA will work towards establishing the Interim Administration, which the Tigers had been aiming at for a very long time.