22.02.09 Mr. Gordon Brown The Prime Minister 10 Downing Street London United Kingdom Dear Prime Minister Interference in Sri Lankan affairs It is with utmost surprise that we learnt about your decision to appoint a special envoy to Sri Lanka. In our opinion, this is a unilateral decision that seriously undermines the sovereignty of Sri Lanka. Whether it happens or not is a different issue but mere suggestion of such a step is adequate to express our concerns. We believe that Sri Lanka gained full and complete independence from the British rule in 1948. We are seriously concerned about the double standards adopted by your government in expressing two completely opposing attitudes towards the situations in Gaza and Sri Lanka. These incompatible attitudes will send wrong signals to the peace loving people not only in Sri Lanka but throughout the world. In the mind of any civilised society or individual, the LTTE is not portrayed as an organization of liberation fighters. In truth, they are a brutal terrorist outfit who has now proven it once again by taking innocent civilians as a human shield. The irony in this situation is that even the Western media hide this fact. All the attempts as we see now are directed towards saving Prabhakarn and the LTTE from total military defeat which will definitely pave the way for a peaceful political solution. This will only prolong the agony and suffering of the Tamil people in our country. We would also like to bring a sound warning to the British government that helping the LTTE in any direct or indirect way would only bring disastrous consequences. We, therefore earnestly would like to request your good self and the British government not to intervene either directly or indirectly in the internal affairs of the Sri Lankan statehood and its people. We Sri Lankans including expatriate Lankans domiciled in Briton would like to lodge our strongest protest regarding this matter. We would like to see the true spirit of British democracy prevail and shine as a beacon to the world. Anura Medagedara Convener SRI LANKANS AGAINST TERRORISM UNITED KINGDOM