Tamils come to Ireland to revive peace Sri Lanka process

Officials from Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger rebel group are due to visit Ireland this week to draw up proposals aimed at reviving the country’s stalled peace process.

The delegation will be led by SP Thamilselvan, the political leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, who have been fighting for independence in north-eastern Sri Lanka since 1984.

The rebel officials are hoping to draw up proposals for a power-sharing agreement during their week-long visit to Dublin, which begins tomorrow.

The proposal is due to be delivered to rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran next week and, if he ratifies it, it will then be handed to the Sri Lankan Government.

Six rounds of peace talks have been held since both sides signed a Norwegian-brokered ceasefire in February 2002.

However, the rebels pulled out of the talks in April this year, accusing the Sri Lankan government of not doing enough to resettle tens of thousands of people displaced during the 19-year civil war, which has claimed almost 65,000 lives.

The Tamil Tigers have refused to resume negotiations until the Sri Lankan government grants them an interim administration with political and financial powers to run affairs in north-eastern Sri Lanka, where most of the island’s minority Tamil population lives.

It is unclear why the LTTE delegation chose Ireland as the location for its discussions on the proposal to restart the peace talks.