Lankan Govt would cease operations if LTTE opens gates: Amza

Chennai, Aug 3 (UNI) The Sri Lankan Government would cease its ongoing military operations in the Tamil areas if the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) opened the sluice gates of Mawilaru Anaicut in Tricomalee, Sri Lankan Deputy High Commissioner in Chennai, P M Amza said today.

Talking to newspersons here, he said the Island Government had launched the military operations only after the LTTE closed the sluice gates, which was not only violatation of ceasefire agreement, but violation of an international law.

The Government, five days after the sluice gates were closed, had launched the operations on July 25, which he described, was defensive and humanitarian in nature. ''If the LTTE is prepared to open the gates even now, the Government operations will cease immediately,'' Mr Amza said.

He said by closing the sluice gates, the LTTE was denying water to more than 15,000 families, who included Muslims, Tamils and Sinhalese, and about 30,000 acres of paddy crops.

The Island Government had called upon the Norwegian facilitators to restore water supply and had raised the matter with the diplomatic community and international organisations, he said.

The Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM), too, had requested the LTTE to open the gates, he pointed out.

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