By Munza Mushtaq
Scepticism reigns over the government’s decision to sponsor eight Sri Lankan Tamils, now domiciled in Europe, on a week long visit to the island, The Nation learns.

The group, which travelled to some parts of the north last week, was however barred from travelling to Batticaloa by the Defence Ministry owing to ‘security concerns.’

“The question posed however was why the group was allowed to go to Jaffna, but not the east, which is supposedly liberated from the LTTE,” political sources queried.

The trip has been dubbed by government circles as one to ‘showcase’ the government’s purported ‘closeness’ to the Tamil community.

The eight visiting Tamils were recommended by the Sri Lankan High Commission in the United Kingdom. The delegation has been identified as those who oppose the LTTE.

“However, the general belief is that some of the members in the delegation, despite their rhetoric against the LTTE, are actually supporting the terrorist organisation on the sideline,” sources claimed.

The group had also met with several government ministers and political party leaders, including the United National Party and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, before their departure last morning.

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