Colombo:
Small Headline: Exert pressure on LTTE: Lanka to diaspora
City: Colombo
ByLine: Press Trust of India
Sri Lanka has appealed to the overseas Tamils to exert pressure on the LTTE to free the hapless civilians caught in the war zone and sought the diaspora's cooperation to rebuild the embattled northern region once it is liberated from the Tiger rebels.
The government made these appeals to the diaspora community during the Sri Lankan Diaspora Dialogue held on Saturday and Sunday, a statement from the President's Secretariat said.
",The government made a significant move in establishing a dialogue with the Sri Lankan Tamil community abroad that is committed to the restoration of peace and democracy in the country, when it had discussions with members of the expatriate Sri Lankan Tamil community,", the statement said.
Such meetings seek to evolve a partnership with Tamils living abroad in the reconciliation among the communities in the country, and implementing an economic plan to reconstruct the North of the country, ravaged by the prolonged war with LTTE, it said.
Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, who addressed the diaspora, called upon them to ",add their voice to the growing chorus within the international community to exert pressure on the LTTE to free the helpless civilians who are being held by them as human shields",.