EPDP HARTAL (99 Jun 02)
EPDP of Mr. Douglas Devanadan had called a hartal in Yapanaya on Tuesday the 1st against the LTTE's assassination of elected members to the pradeshiya sabhas and the interruption of essential services by calling for strikes in the government offices on Tuesdays and Fridays. The hartal followed the killing of Mr. Thiyagarajah Rajakumar, the vice-chairman of the Nallur pradeshiya sabha, on Monday. Mr. Rajakumar was the fifth pradeshiya sabha member to be killed by the LTTE since January this year.
As a result of the hartal state and private institutions and shops have remained closed in Yapanaya. The body of the slain member had been taken to the EPDP headquarters at Stanley road and from there to the general cemetery amidst tight security on Tuesday.
These incidents should indicate that there is no other way but to crush the LTTE militarily and defeat Tamil racism politically. The Sinhala people have no alternative but to elect a patriotic government that can fulfill these objectives.