Sunday January 15, 2012 By Lasanda Kurukulasuriya
In the past week Sri Lanka's political leaders have been in travel mode, with External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris touring parts of Africa, while a TNA delegation has just returned from South Africa, where four parliamentarians attended the African National Congress (ANC) centenary celebrations.
South Africa was a conspicuous omission in Peiris' trip on account of Sri Lanka boycotting the event. The government was displeased with the invitation extended by the ANC government to representatives of the Global Tamil Forum (GTF), thereby giving the organisation the kind of recognition that would seem to support its Tamil separatist/anti Sri Lanka agenda. In view of this situation, the TNA's decision to attend the event appears to have hit a nerve with the government. This does not augur well for the upcoming session of the government-TNA talks scheduled for Jan. 17, 18 and 19 -- part of the ongoing dialogue aimed at a political solution to end Tamil grievances. read more..
