DATE=6/30/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=SRI LANKA PEACE PLAN (S-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-263935
BYLINE=JIM TEEPLE
DATELINE=NEW DELHI
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Tamil Tiger Rebels fighting for a separate
homeland in Sri Lanka have rejected a government
proposal aimed at ending the 17-year conflict. V-O-
A's Jim Teeple reports the rebels say the government
autonomy proposal does not go far enough.
TEXT: One of the Tamil Tiger's top strategists,
Anton Balasingham, calls the government autonomy plan
"ludicrous," saying it fails to address the national
aspirations of the Tamil people. Mr. Balasingham's
comments were posted on Tamilnet, a Tamil-nationalist
internet website on Friday. His comments are
considered to be a formal rejection of a Sri Lankan
government plan to grant autonomy to provincial areas,
including Tamil-majority areas.
Sri Lanka's president, Chandrika Kumaratunga, says the
government proposal, which would require a two-thirds
vote to change Sri Lanka's constitution, is the best
way to end the conflict, which as so far claimed more
than 60-thousand lives. Some Tamil political parties
have expressed support for the plan, but President
Kumaratunga faces opposition to the plan from many in
the majority Sinhalese community. (Signed)
NEB/JLT/JP
30-Jun-2000 10:01 AM EDT (30-Jun-2000 1401 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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