COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa has cautioned against deliberate campaign of provocation that “might prolong the IPKF (Indian Peace Keeping Force) stay in the country.”
Addressing a parliamentary group, the President reacted to incidents in the eastern province where an illegal Tamil army had attacked five police stations, reportedly killing over 50 civilians, citizens volunteer force personnel and police reservists last Friday.
He told the group that the Sri Lankan forces could launch an all-out war against the illegal army but it “will be construed by interested parties as an attack on the Tamils and will justify the IPKF presence in the country.”
The Sri Lankan army had been sent to the eastern province to protect the people and government institutions, he said. Premandasa said the agreement for IPKF withdrawal by December end had been reached with much difficulty and the government had made necessary arrangements to fill the security vacuum.
The government, he said, had come to know of the presence of an illegal army and the commander of the IPKF had admitted it,
The President appealed to the Tamil groups in the region to act with restraint and help restore peace.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 1, 1989
