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Ping-pong diplomacy with LTTE
By Sinniah Gurunathan in Trincomalee
Tiger guerrillas applied Mao's military doctrine among others during the near two decades of war with Sri Lankan security forces. In what seems a twist of fate, now Mao's ping-pong diplomacy that opened detente with the US in the 1970s, is being used by the Sri Lanka Police to mend fences with the Tiger guerrillas during the ceasefire.

The man behind this new Sri Lankan ping-pong diplomacy is Police Superintendent Daya Samaraweera, currently in charge of the Moneragala division. Before moving in there, he was SP for Trincomalee division. That was where he established a rapport with the Tiger cadres.

SP Samaraweera, President of the Sri Lanka Table Tennis Association has donated Rs 60,000 worth of equipment -- tables, ping-pong balls and racquets among others. The equipment was handed over to LTTE's Trincomalee Sports chief Theepan by the SP at a ceremony at the Provincial Education Ministry in Trincomalee. SP Samaraweera said that the SLTTA was prepared to send trainers to Sampur, an LTTE-held area in Trincomalee, to conduct TT coaching camps.

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