Bangkok, Sept 19: Basking in the success of the first round of Sri Lanka's peace talks, several of the delegates left Thailand today for other countries where they will seek international aid and investment for the island.
Representatives of Sri Lanka's government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) spent three days from Monday holed-up in a naval base southeast of Bangkok, after which the LTTE made the shock announcement that they had dropped their demand for a separate state.
Analysts said the move represented a major shift in the Tigers' policy and was the best sign yet that they were serious about working towards peace.
The Tigers' fight for an independent homeland -- known as Tamil Eelam -- has spanned the past three decades, led to the deaths of more than 60,000 people and wreaked havoc on the Sri Lankan economy.
A diplomatic source said three of the government delegates had already left Bangkok, while Rauf Hakeem, the sole Muslim representative, was due to leave today evening.

G L Peiris, the top government delegate, was on his way to Canada where he will meet with politicians to drum up support for aid and investment in Sri Lanka and also seek expertise on constitutional reform.

LTTE's chief negotiator Anton Balasingham and his wife Adele were still in Thailand, but the other two Tiger delegates, Jay Maheswaran and Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran, have already left.

Bureau Report