The LTTE today urged the United Nations to recognise "Tamil sovereignty" to end the 25-year-old ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, accusing the government in the Island state of committing excesses against the minority community in the country.
"We urge you to consider recognising Tamil sovereignty as a constructive approach to end the five decades long, large-scale, and serious rights violations against the Tamil people," the LTTE political head B. Nadesan said in a letter to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.
"It should also be obvious to the international community that there is only one path open to regain the rights of the Tamil people and that is for the international community to recognize the sovereignty of the Tamil nation," Nadesan said.
The political head of the LTTE alleged in the letter that the Sri Lankan army was involved in the attack on Monday at Madhu that led to the death of 18 civilians including 12 school children.
"On 28 January, at 2.30 pm, a Sri Lankan military Deep Penetration Unit attacked a civilian bus on the Madhu-Palampiddy road in the Mannar district killing 18 civilians including twelve children," Nadesan said in the complaint lodged with the UN Secretary General.
"The attackers would have known that buses at that time carry school children returning home from school. This attack on a bus with scores of children, therefore, deliberately targeted the children. Among the eighteen civilians killed were twelve children aged from 8 to 16," he said.
Refuting the LTTE charges, a Sri Lankan military spokesman said the attack took place in the rebel controlled area and the involvement of Sri Lankan army does not arise.
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