TNA to seek US help

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) will seek US assistance to expedite the release of Tamil political prisoners when they meet US Deputy Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Nisha Biswal Desai this week. Desai will be the first high-profile US State Department official to visit the island since the President Maithripala Sirisena Government came to power in January. The US Deputy State Secretary is expected to meet President Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, before her meeting with the TNA.

TNA Spokesman, Suresh K. Premachandran, told Ceylon Today that the US Deputy State Secretary will hold talks with the TNA on Tuesday (3) and several issues which were shelved by the previous government were expected to be taken up during the talks. "Presently, I have gathered some details on the Tamil political prisoners who have been detained without any legal action taken for several years. So far details of around 400 Tamil detainees have been gathered. The TNA extended its support to President Maithripala Sirisena at the Presidential poll on the basis of seeking the new government's assistance towards releasing all Tamil political prisoners and expediting the resettlement process. So, the TNA will prioritize the two issues during its talks with Biswal," Premachandran said. Meanwhile, according to diplomatic sources, the US Government has worked out a new agenda on the Lankan issue at the UNHRC session in Geneva in March this year. Biswal is expected to discuss the new arrangement with the Lankan Government leaders and the TNA. She will also travel to Jaffna and meet Chief Minster C.V. Wigneswaran.