Re-negotiate Kachchatheevu: CPI urges Indian Government

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 April 2008, 09:41 GMT]
Communist Party of India (CPI) National Secretary D Raja urged the Indian Government to intervene in Sri Lanka's prolonged ethnic strife in view of the escalation of human rights abuses in the island nation. "Finding a solution to the ethnic crisis alone can bring about a solution to the problems of Tamil Nadu fishermen," he said. Recalling that the state Government of Tamil Nadu had protested when India ceded Kadchaththeevu to Sri Lanka in 1974, he urged upon the Indian Government to renegotiate the Kadchaththeevu Accord and facilitate Tamil Nadu fisherment to catch fish without any hindrance whatsoever.

Speaking at a meeting organized by the Goodwilll Communications fishermen's forum, D Raja pointed out that hundreds of Indian fishermen had been killed by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) since 1983.

The CPI leader said that Sri Lanka should realize that a military solution was not possible. He called for a debate on Indo-Sri Lankan ties because of the increased human rights violations by the Government of Sri Lanka. He wanted the Indian Government to intervene at the earliest to find a peaceful solution to the problem.

Viduthalai Chiruththaigal Kadchi VCK President Thol Thirumavalavan said that the Indian Government was labelling Tamil Nadu fishermen as "arms smugglers" and he condemned this step-motherly treatment. "Tamil Nadu fishermen are affected more by the Indian Coast Guard rather than their Sri Lankan counterparts because they are branded as helpers of the LTTE," he said. He attributed the sufferings of the Tamil fishermen to the militarization of the Indian seas.

Thirumavalavan also called upon the Indian Government not to render any kind of help to the Sri Lankan armed forces which were torturing the Tamils and carrying out a genocide against them.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, VCK MLA D Ravikumar, Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP T. K. Ranagarajan, Tamil Nadu-Puducherry Fishermen's Forum leader N J Bose, Goodwill Communications Director Fr Jegath Gasper participated in the meeting.

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