Damage already done, says Jayalalithaa

Sri Lankan Minister Web post critical of Tamil Nadu fishermen

An article that appeared on the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry website “trivialising” Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has come at a time when fishermen of both countries are expressing serious concern over the absence of a sustainable solution to the Palk Bay crisis. The piece was critical of Tamil Nadu fishermen and the claims made by Tamil Nadu on Katchatheevu.

Ms. Jayalalithaa said that while as a public political figure she had faced criticism from many sources, the blatant attempt to “ridicule and trivialise” her efforts to resolve the livelihood issue of Tamil Nadu fishermen was unacceptable.

Though the article was “surreptitiously” removed from the website following a public outcry, the Chief Minister said the damage had already been done.

Following the controversy, the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry put out a statement tendering an “unqualified apology” to Ms. Jayalalithaa and Mr. Modi.

“The article which had been published without appropriate authorisation and not reflecting any official position of the Government of Sri Lanka or Ministry of Defence and Urban Development has since been removed. We extend an unqualified apology to the Hon. Prime Minister of India and Hon. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,” a statement on the Ministry website said.

A Sri Lankan Army spokesperson said it was a lapse in editorial judgment on the part of the officer in-charge.

“We take full responsibility for it and deeply regret it. The visuals [accompanying the article] were inappropriate. The views of the writer Shenali D. Waduge, a regular columnist with the state-run Daily News here, did not reflect the views of Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, or of the government,” Army spokesperson Ruwan Wanigasooriya told The Hindu in Colombo.

The apology came after the Indian Ministry of External Affairs took up the issue with the Sri Lankan authorities through its High Commission in Colombo. A Ministry spokesperson is reported to have said in New Delhi that India acted with “alacrity” on the issue.

Political parties in Tamil Nadu, including DMK president M. Karunanidhi, the MDMK and the PMK, put up a united face against the article and condemned the Sri Lankan government for hosting it on an official website.