Vaiko meets Indian Premier, Defence Minister in New Delhi

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 December 2005, 13:54 GMT]
Vaiko, the General Secretary of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) from the Tamil Nadu state in India, met Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in New Delhi Friday at 5 p.m. Following the meeting with the Indian Premier, Vaiko also met the Indian Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee Friday evening. When contacted by TamilNet, the MDMK chief Vaiko described his meetings with Manmohan Singh and Pranab Mukherjee as cordial and constructive. Sri Lanka was trying to trap India to get embroiled into Sri Lanka's conflict as it did in the eighties, Vaiko said, adding that he had cautioned the Indian leaders that Sri Lanka's moves are inimical to Tamil interests.

Full text of the appeal handed over to Dr. Manmohan Singh and released by the MDMK office in Chennai follows:

Dear Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji,


Vanakkam. I would like to draw your kind attention to the emerging grave situation in Sri Lanka, which causes serious concern.

The most shocking incident took place on 17th December 2005 in Jaffna was the abduction, rape and murder of a teenage girl by name Tharsini by Sri Lankan Naval personnel, whose dead body was found in a well immersed in water with a stone attached. When repressive brutal attacks by the Armed Forces were unleashed in and around Jaffna University against civilian population, the students led by the vice-chancellor and the professors of the University took out at a procession to present a memorandum to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM). But they were blocked by soldiers of Sri Lanka Military and brutally attacked in which the vice-chancellor and the Professors were severely beaten to bleed.

Though the Sri Lanka Military claimed that they fired only warning shots, the doctors in the Hospital have clarified that the Professors and Students had gunshot injuries.

It is a matter of grave concern that after 1995 i.e. ten years after, the Army has entered into the Jaffna University and had opened fire to intimidate and suppress the students.

Regarding cease-fire and the violations the Sri Lankan Government is making all out efforts to paint totally a wrong picture to the outside world putting the blame against the Tamils and the LTTE.

In the year 1995, when Sri Lanka Government launched military offensive Palaly Air field was fully utilised for the purpose of ariel bombing and strafing in which many innocent Tamil men, women and children were massacred. About 5 lakhs Tamils were uprooted from their homes and had to leave Jaffna about which the then Pope John Paul II and the then U.N. Secretary General Mr. Boutros Boutros Ghali expressed their anguish.

When the Sri Lanka Government tried to enter into defence co-operation agreement with India in 2004, you were so kind enough to consider our views against such a proposed agreement and decided not to go for and agreement for which the Tamil race ever obliged. At that time, I pointed out in my letter October 2004 that India should not engage to help the restructuring and repair work of Palaly Air field and runway. But, it was a terrible shock when the UNI News Agency reported the statement of Air Vice Marshal of Sri Lanka Air force Donald Periera on 9th December 2005 that in Jaffna the restructuring and repair works in Palaly runway is being carried out with the financial assistance of India for the past 6 months and a team of experts from India will visit shortly there for Joint discussion. In this situation the full joint Naval exercise (first time) of India and Sri Lanka in the second week of December gains more significance and an impression in favour of Sri Lanka got propagated by the Sri Lanka Government.

The escalating situation in Sri Lanka is causing concern regarding the continuation of cease-fire and peace talks. Under these circumstances the Sri Lanka Government is trying to put India in the forefront in peace talks which could be a cunning strategic ploy.

It is the Norway Government, which initiated the peace talks in all earnestness and sincerity.

In this background I have brought to the kind notice of the Hon’ble Prime Minister the above mentioned facts regarding the tragic sufferings of Tamils in the Island.

With warm regards,
Yours sincerely,
Vaiko

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