It has been more than four years since the civil war in Sri Lanka ended. Elections have been held to the Northern Provincial Council and the Tamil National Alliance has been voted to power. This signals the dawn of a new era in the life of Sri Lankan Tamils.
This is not the time to talk about rights abuses during the last phase of the Eelam war, and cite it as a reason to boycott the CHOGM summit in Colombo. We have been holding an olive branch to Pakistan even after a number of terror strikes on our soil and border violations, resulting in the killing of our soldiers. Why make an exception and invite Colombo’s displeasure and wrath at a crucial juncture?
A. Michael Dhanaraj,
Coimbatore
All political parties of Tamil Nadu are opposed to India’s participation in the CHOGM summit, as reflected in the unanimous resolution passed by the Assembly. Sri Lanka is not an enemy country, nor is the meeting bilateral. By boycotting CHOGM, India will lose an opportunity to raise the Sri Lankan Tamils’ problems, including the allegations of rights violations during the civil war against the LTTE, on an international forum. Besides, India has the responsibility to maintain cordial relations with its neighbour.
T.S. Satyavenkata Subramaniam,
Chennai
