Only ceasefire is real relief to Eelam Tamils: Ramadoss

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 November 2008, 15:05 GMT]
Coming out publicly to voice his displeasure over the manner in which the Eelam Tamil issue was handled by the Tamil Nadu State and Union Governments, Pattali Makkal Katchi founder-leader Dr. S. Ramadoss alleged at a press meet in Chennai Saturday that not a single resolution of the All Party Meeting had met with success. He called upon Chief Minister Karunanidhi to explain as to why the ceasefire demand was not addressed. "There should be an immediate ceasfire in Sri Lanka, only that shall be the real relief to Eelam Tamils," he said.

He lambasted the Tamil Nadu State Government for putting all the resolutions of the all party meeting on the back-burner. He called for an immediate ceasefire in the strife-ridden island and an end to the SLA bombings on innocent Tamil civilians. 

The PMK chief pointed out that the all party meeting had passed resolutions demanding New Delhi to bring about a ceasefire in the island nation immediately. "However, there has been no action or even promise of action on this prime demand from the Union Government," he said.

"The peace talks towards a permanent political solution have to be initiated at the earliest. If the war is stopped, the Eelam Tamils are capable enough to rehabilitate themselves," he added.  

Dr Ramadoss urged Karunanidhi to provide an explanation as to why the Union Government did not act on the ceasefire demand. He recalled that in a statement on October 24, Karunanidhi had placed his trust in the Prime Minister to fulfill the state's demands on the Eelam Tamils issue. "After he expressed his satisfaction, the Indian Government became complacent and slow to act," Ramadoss said. 

He also faulted the manner in which Karunanidhi had successfully deflected the Eelam Tamils issue. "It is very rarely that the Tamil Nadu Tamils are concerned about their brothers and sisters in Eelam. The upsurge of emotions that we witnessed in Tamil Nadu is something that happens rarely. That emotion came about because our brethren are being killed in Eelam, children are being bombed. But the emotion was quelled in the same speed with which it arose last month," he said.