The Centre has granted permission to DMK treasurer M.K. Stalin and the its parliamentary party leader T.R. Baalu to visit New York and Geneva to hand over resolutions passed at a recent conference of the Tamil Eelam Supporters’ Organisation (TESO) to the UN Secretary-General and the UN Human Rights Council, DMK president M. Karunanidhi said on Wednesday.
Talking to reporters here after a meeting of TESO at the party headquarters, he said that while it was easy for an ordinary citizen to get permission to visit the UN, the Centre’s clearance was mandatory in the case of MPs and MLAs.
The two DMK leaders would leave India after their appointment was confirmed.
Answering a question on the extent of aid received by Sri Lankan Tamils so far, Mr. Karunanidhi, also chairman of TESO, said he had not got any good news on that front and the details would be included in the memorandum to be submitted to the UN.
The presence of military in Tamil-majority areas, Mr. Karunanidhi said, was a clear sign that nothing had changed at the ground level even though the war was over. Asked about reports that all Tamils living in camps had been sent to their homes, he said they continued to face a lot of difficulties.
To a question on protests demanding that the government shift inhabitants of special camps in Tamil Nadu to open camps, Mr. Karunanidhi said the situation raised the question whether they could be safe in Sri Lanka, if they did not get protection in Tamil Nadu. However, he did not want to politicise the issue.
Asked whether he would hold talk to the Centre to shift the inhabitants of the special camp to other camps, Mr. Karunanidhi said the Centre was aware of those who were in special camps. “I only want the Centre to act faster than the Sri Lankan government and help the refugees. It is for the Centre to answer the question and I hope it will extend its cooperation,” he added.
Asked about the reception given to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa during his visit to India, he said it was a democratic tradition to accord welcome to an elected leader of another country and even to host a feast. “But you are asking why the government should not go against the tradition. We cannot expect such a firm attitude from everyone,” he said, recalling his decision to boycott the reception given to the Indian Peacekeeping Force (IPKF) when it returned in 1990.
While thanking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his response to the letter written by Mr. Karunanidhi, the TESO meeting on Wednesday wanted India to move a resolution seeking the UN’s intervention to put an end to the present situation in Sri Lanka.
“The meeting strongly believes that the UN intervention will not only ensure the livelihood for Tamils, but also help them determine their rights. India should take steps for this,” a resolution adopted at the meeting said.
Keywords: TESO meeting, DMK, M. Karunanidhi, Sri Lanka ethnic conflict, Sri Lankan Tamils issue, Eelam War IV, Tamil Tigers, LTTE, internally displaced Tamils
Acting is enough Mr.Ex CM. People are not that innocent to accept all they hear and see. They have improved a lot after seeing the corruptions and atrocities by your govt.
There have been a lot of talks and letter writing on Sri Lankan Tamil
issues but no action ether in their lives or plight. Geo-politics seem
to determine the need of the victims than their merit.
What is the meaning of doing more to the Tamils in Sri Lanka. The DMK and Congress have done more damage to the Sri Lankan Tamils and this means they want to do more and more damage. The damage he has done to Tamils will be remembered by the Tamils all over the world for generations. The youths have realized and knows real politics.
This is just an stunt like fasting between meals. [world record] to fool the 95 million Tamils all over the world.
What if Pakistan demands a UN backed referendum for the self-
determination of Kashmiris? Already Pakistan is upping the ante for it.
It is absolutely wrong for Mr. Karunanidhi to imply all Sri Lankan
Tamils when more than 55% of them live among the Sinhalese for ages.
Anyway it is easier to demand 'justice' for Tamils when not in power,
and not do anything for them while in power, especially during the last
stages of the war.
These people should probably be more concerned about issues affecting the people of Tamil Nadu. The leaders of the two majour Tamil Nadu parties seem to be more concerned about northern Sri Lanka than they are about Tamil Nadu. This is despite TN having serious problems in areas like corruption and break down of the rule of law. In fact, large parts of Tamil Nadu - a state which has enjoyed peace and stability as a part of India in the post-Colonial era - are comparable to war-ravaged northern Sri Lanka.
I am not sure why The Hindu is giving undue coverage to Karunanidhi. He plays politics at the touch of a button, what did he do for the welfare of Sri Lankan Tamils when he was in Power, or for that matter, he is still part of central govt. Please stop giving coverage to divisive politics
People are become more and more knowlesgeable now and no malicious propanga, misleading and withholding information will never work in the future.
If the Media fails to play a fair and reasonable to publish objectively and truthfully, they are doomed to fail.
Being a Tamilian myself, I think all these politicians are flogging a dead horse. They said nothing when the LTTE was eliminating other Sri Lankan tamil organizations who had an equal say for the Sri Lankan tamils. Now that the LTTE has lost its head, these politicians are raking up the issue, rather than let the Tamils in Sri Lanka get on with their lives and decide their future. New Delhi is in a position to inform the Sri Lankan govt when excess are committed by the Sri Lankans, but we otherwise should adopt a hands off approach, and should not listen to the rethoric of these so called guardians of the Tamil people and culture
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