Tamil Nadu Chief Minister condemns Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 August 2006, 15:42 GMT]
Kalaignar M Karunanidhi, the Chief Minister (CM) of the southern Tamil Nadu state of India, has condemned the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombing in Vallipunam in Mullaithivu district in NorthEast Sri Lanka, where tens of schoolgirls were killed and more than 100 wounded Monday. Describing the SLAF air-strike as an "atrocious and inhumane act", the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu state, home to 60 million Tamils in India, has urged the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, to request the Sri Lankan government to hold talks to settle the issue peacefully and stop killing innocent Tamils.

The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Thursday passed a resolution condemning the recent killings.

Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Assembly, R Avudiayappan, brought the condolence resolution, and expressed shock and grief over the Vallipunam killings.

The House condemned the killings, characterising it as "uncivilised and inhumane act" of the Sri Lankan military.

"There should be a full stop to such incidents which cannot be forgiven... There cannot be two opinions on this," Chennai Online reported Chief Minister Karunanidhi as saying.

Referred to as Kalaignar, Karunanithi, the leader of the DMK Party and five times Chief Minister (CM) of Tamil Nadu State since 1969, is known for his oratorical skills, for writing historicals and scriptwriting.

Meanwhile, the opposition MDMK Floor Leader M Kannappan urged the Tamil Nadu Government to convince the Centre to invite the Tamil parliamentarians from NorthEast Sri Lanka, and to send an Indian delegation consisting of Tamil Nadu MPs to Sri Lanka.

Tamil Nadu is the second most industrialized state in India.