COLOMBO April 24, F (Reuter): Sri Lankan Prime Minister Rana Singh Premadasa today urged India to get rid of Tamil guerrillas who he said were Operating from its territory.

Speaking in Parliament, Premadasa said “India’s grief and sorrow at recent terrorist attacks is not enough. They should chase the terrorists away”.

During his speech, in a debate on the state of emergency caused by bloody Tamil insurgency, six opposition MPs were ordered out of the Chamber and suspended for a week by the speaker for unruly behavior.

The MPs, five from the main opposition party, were carried out by police when they refused to leave.

Premadasa said those who directly or indirectly helped Tamil separatists would fall under the definition of terrorists.

India has denied accusations by Sri Lanka that Tamil rebels train and operate from Madras in South India.

Parliament later voted 110 to one to extend for a month the emergency which gives extra powers to security forces to fight the Tamil guerrillas seeking a separate state in the north and east. Premadasa said the government had decided to launch a military offensive to wipe out rebel bases after guerrilla attacks killed 106 people in Colombo and 240 in North Central and eastern areas since last Friday.

“When people are dying at the hands of killer terrorists how can we think of political settlements”, he asked.

“We tell our friends in the world that a time when terrorists are brutally killing innocent people, they should help us. If they do not help us, we shall seek support from other quarters”.

Political observers interpreted this as an indication that the government may seek western help to crush the four year old Tamil insurgency.

Earlier National Security Minister Lalith Athulathmudali said the people should be alert at all times against guerrilla attacks.

The terrorists know that the government can’t place a soldier at every point in the country. In practice it is impossible to provide this kind of security. That is why we are training villagers in self-defense”, he said.

Article extracted from this publication >>  May 1, 1987