• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

DATE=11/10/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=SRI LANKA OPPOSITION (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-256002
BYLINE=VANDANA CHOPRA
DATELINE=COLOMBO
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Sri Lanka's main opposition leader, and 
President Chandrika Kumaratunga's main rival in the 
next month's presidential elections, Ranil
Wickremesinghe, says when he wins power he will begin 
talks with the Tamil Tiger rebels.  Vandana Chopra has 
the details from Colombo. 
TEXT:  The leader of Sri Lanka's main opposition, 
United National Party, Ranil Wickremesinghe, says on 
assuming power he will hold discussions with other 
people in the Sri Lankan parliament 
before he begins talks with the Tiger rebels.
Addrssing a meeting of the Foreign Correspondents 
Association, Mr. Wickeremesinghe says he is not 
promising peace in 24 hours but plans to
start a confidence building process.
Mr. Wickremesinghe also held current Sri Lankan 
President Chandrika Kumaratunga responsible for the 
government's military debacle last week in the north 
and predicted Ms. Kumaratunga's defeat in next month's 
presidential elections.
President Kumaratunga has publicly acknowledged 
military losses and has instituted a court of inquiry 
to punish those responsible.  But she has said the 
media has exagerrated the number of government 
casualties.
The recent spate of confrontations between the armed 
forces and Tamil Tiger rebels has resulted in the loss 
of control by the army in the strategically important 
towns of Oddusudan,
Nedunkerni, Mankulam and Kanagarayankulam.
The opposition has also accused the government of 
concealing military casualty figures and using 
censorship to prevent the nation from learning
about the recent military defeats.
After the rebel assault last week the government 
imposed censorship on all news reports related to the 
war.
The last few days of fighting has seen the army lose 
key military bases in the Northern jungle region, 
Wanni and face some of its worst defeats in many 
years.
Tiger guerillas have been fighting for a separate 
homeland for the minority Tamil community in Sri 
Lanka's North and East since 1983. (Signed)
NEB/VC/PLM
TEXT:
NEB/WTW/ 
10-Nov-1999 06:40 AM EDT (10-Nov-1999 1140 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.