4TH LEAD (UPDATE)

India boosts Sri Lanka: Jaya; India answerable for genocide: Vaiko

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 August 2011, 07:48 GMT]
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s remarks aired by Headlines Today rocked the Tamil Nadu State Assembly on Thursday as political parties moved for special call attention motion to discuss Gotabhaya’s remarks on Tamil Nadu Assembly resolution on Sri Lanka. “Indian government being mute spectator has boosted the morale of Srilanka,” Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Ms. Jayalalitha accused in the Assembly. Meanwhile, speaking to Priyamvatha of Headlines Today on Thursday, hours before a discussion on Sri Lanka in the Indian parliament, Vaiko said the government of India is answerable to Headlines Today report on the genocide of Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka. However, on Thursday afternoon, the Indian parliament postponed the discussion on Sri Lanka to coming Tuesday.

Ms. Jayalalitha speaking at the Assembly said that Gotabaya Rajapakse remarks are highly condemnable, adding that the Indian Government must send an envoy to condemn Gotabaya's insensitive remarks.

While noting that the TN assembly resolution was not passed for political gains, the Chief Minister said that Gotabaya’s claims that there were no war crimes are false and misleading.

TN government will take all measures to ensure that justice is delivered for innocent Tamils in the island, Ms. Jayalalitha said.

Ms. Jayalalitha equated Gotabhaya to a devil, while DMDK's Panurutti Ramachandran said Sri Lanka is a jungle Raj.

“DMK has been arguing and fighting for the Srilankan Tamil cause for a long time and if anyone says that we are focusing on this issue just for political gains...They will understand that its a voice that is being raised for the freedom of the Eeelam Tamils," DMK chief Mr. M. Karunanidhi said.

The Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party Marxist (CPM) and the main opposition DMDK joined condemning Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s remarks.

Meanwhile, speaking to Headlines Today, condemning Gotabhaya’s remarks Vaiko said that he backs Jayalalitha. She had expressed the feelings of all Tamils, Vaiko said.

It has now been proved that genocide has been committed and as testimonies of people have been on record, international agencies should try Sri Lanka government for genocide, Vaiko said, adding that Indian government is answerable and it should react.

Gothabaya's comment on devolution of power has proved that there will be no solution for Tamils, Vaiko further said.

Meanwhile, the Speaker of Lok Sabha, Meira Kumar has altered the title of the motion discussed today in the Indian parliament, news reports said.

The original motion for discussion placed by DMK MP T R Baalu and Samajwadi Party me¬m¬ber Shailendra Kumar was titled as “alleged killing of Sri Lankan Tamils by the island nation’s Lankan army in 2009 as recently revealed in a United Nations report.”

But the Speaker, in a corrigendum on Wednesday changed it as “on the steps taken by Government of India for relief and resettlement of Tamils in Sri Lanka and other measures to promote their welfare,” taking the crux of the matter away.

The Speaker did this after a Congress member pointing out that discussing the Army’s killing of Tamils in Sri Lanka would be interfering into the “internal matter of a sovereign nation, a neighbour.’’

Headlines Today airs the parliament proceedings on Sri Lanka live on Thursday.

Chronology:


External Links:

HT:		Video:Lankan Army killed 40,000 Tamils
HT:		Video: Fear grips survivors of Lankan war
HT:		Jayalalithaa slams Lanka defence secretary's remarks on war crimes
HT:		Video: Lanka defence secy slams Jaya