Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Thursday alleged that Sri Lanka was trying to ‘intimidate’ India to not raise its voice against the atrocities on Tamils in that country by arresting Indian fishermen.
Jaya, in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, said, ‘The incidents of arrests of fishermen and the recent firing should be viewed as an indirect attempt to intimidate the government of India and browbeat it into not raising voice against Sri Lankan atrocities on innocent Sri Lankan Tamilians in the international fora.’ She was referring to the firing by the Lankan Navy at Indian fishermen on Wednesday and said it was ‘highly unacceptable.’
Urging the Indian government to take action, Jayalalithaa said, ‘The Sri Lankan government should be advised to desist from using force against our innocent Indian fishermen who have been fishing in their traditional fishing areas for centuries.’
In parliament on Thursday, external affairs minister Salman Khurshid said that ‘Indian government does not want to play the role of a big brother with respect to Sri Lanka but we want Lankan Tamils to live a life of dignity.’ He was replying to a debate over the plight of ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Unhappy with Khurshid’s reply, one of UPA’s key ally, the DMK, walked out of the lower house. DMK member TR Baalu had initiated the debate.
Khurshid also mentioned that India will frame its response to the upcoming UN human rights panel vote on Sri Lanka on the basis of parliamentarians’ views. ‘We will take into account the views of the MPs, the developments on the ground, what the Sri Lankan government has done and what the other nations have said,’ said Khurshid.
‘We want the Tamils in Sri Lanka to live with dignity and equal participation as citizens and closure for the wounds of the past. We need to look beyond the past,’ he added.
During a debate on the issue, BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said India should also caution other neighbours against interfering in the Sri Lankan affairs or Indo-Sri Lankan relations. ‘Let India not merely vote in the UNHRC, but take the lead in drafting the resolution and carry it through the UNHRC,’ said Sinha, a former external affairs minister.
Even Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D Raja said India should demand an impartial and international inquiry on the war crimes committed by Sri Lankan military on Tamils as well as vote against the island nation in the current meeting of UN Human Rights.
UPPING THE ANTE
Jaya, in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, said, ‘The incidents of arrests of fishermen and the recent firing should be viewed as an indirect attempt to intimidate the government of India and browbeat it into not raising voice against Sri Lankan atrocities on innocent Sri Lankan Tamilians in the international fora.’ She was referring to the firing by the Lankan Navy at Indian fishermen on Wednesday and said it was ‘highly unacceptable.’
Urging the Indian government to take action, Jayalalithaa said, ‘The Sri Lankan government should be advised to desist from using force against our innocent Indian fishermen who have been fishing in their traditional fishing areas for centuries.’
In parliament on Thursday, external affairs minister Salman Khurshid said that ‘Indian government does not want to play the role of a big brother with respect to Sri Lanka but we want Lankan Tamils to live a life of dignity.’ He was replying to a debate over the plight of ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Unhappy with Khurshid’s reply, one of UPA’s key ally, the DMK, walked out of the lower house. DMK member TR Baalu had initiated the debate.
Khurshid also mentioned that India will frame its response to the upcoming UN human rights panel vote on Sri Lanka on the basis of parliamentarians’ views. ‘We will take into account the views of the MPs, the developments on the ground, what the Sri Lankan government has done and what the other nations have said,’ said Khurshid.
‘We want the Tamils in Sri Lanka to live with dignity and equal participation as citizens and closure for the wounds of the past. We need to look beyond the past,’ he added.
During a debate on the issue, BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said India should also caution other neighbours against interfering in the Sri Lankan affairs or Indo-Sri Lankan relations. ‘Let India not merely vote in the UNHRC, but take the lead in drafting the resolution and carry it through the UNHRC,’ said Sinha, a former external affairs minister.
Even Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D Raja said India should demand an impartial and international inquiry on the war crimes committed by Sri Lankan military on Tamils as well as vote against the island nation in the current meeting of UN Human Rights.
UPPING THE ANTE
- The incidents of arrests of fishermen and the recent firing should be viewed as an indirect attempt to intimidate the government of India and browbeat it into not raising voice against Sri Lankan atrocities on innocent Sri Lankan Tamilians in the international fora.
- The Sri Lankan government should be advised to desist from using force against our innocent Indian fishermen who have been fishing in their traditional fishing areas for centuries.