FLAWED DEMOCRACY AND PROSECUTION OF WAR CANNOT WIN PEACE -NPC

The suicide bombing in a busy street in Colombo’s commercial area of Fort, targeting buses in which riot police were stationed have killed at least 10 and injured another 95 including civilians passing by in the vicinity. The National Peace Council condemns this attack which has the hallmarks of the LTTE.

Sadly the blast took place in the heart of Colombo's business centre, in close proximity to the Hilton hotel and opposite a Buddhist temple. It took place at a time in which millions of Sri Lankans are preparing to celebrate Vesak, the day of the birth, Enlightenment and passing of Lord Buddha, whose foremost precepts were to not take life and to meet hatred with love.  Ironically, the police personnel were stationed for riot duty in view of the inauguration of the administration of the newly elected Eastern Provincial Council at the Presidential Secretariat nearby and a demonstration by the opposition parties against the manner those same elections had been held.

The Provincial Council elections and the local government elections held earlier in the east were deeply flawed.They highlighted the disappointing status of democracy in Sri Lanka despite over seventy five years of universal franchise.   The people living in the Eastern province failed to experience free and fair elections that could have facilitated a credible process of devolution of power.  It is now the responsibility of the government and provincial administration to ensure that development of the east will go hand in hand with the protection of human rights and human security in these areas.

The National Peace Council expresses our condolences to the victims and their families.  We call upon both the Government and the LTTE to end their reliance on a military solution and, in this Vesak period, to contemplate the path of negotiations based on human values and principles of non-violence to ensure the best interests of the people they claim to represent.