The Hindu : National : Send MPs' delegation to Sri Lanka : Vaiko

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Saturday, Jun 17, 2006

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National

Send MPs' delegation to Sri Lanka : Vaiko

S. Vijay Kumar

"Armed forces should help refugees"

MADURAI: The Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) general secretary Vaiko has appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to direct the armed forces along the coastline of Tamil Nadu to help Sri Lankan Tamil refugees stranded at sea to reach the shores.

Talking to The Hindu here on Friday, he said the influx of Tamil refugees was on the rise owing to a "war situation" in Sri Lanka. The fleeing refugees were dependent on boat operators to reach Rameswaram. However, the boat operators dropped them on sand dunes between the two countries, forcing them to wait for fishermen to help them sail further.

"On many occasions, the refugees dropped on sand dunes, including women and children, waited for several hours. The Indian Navy and Coast Guard personnel who frequently conduct aerial surveillance should use their infrastructure to help the stranded refugees reach the shores, purely on humanitarian grounds."

Mr. Vaiko said the Centre should immediately depute a delegation of MPs to Sri Lanka to assess the ground reality. "The elected representatives of Tamil National Alliance should be allowed to meet Dr. Manmohan Singh to represent the grievances of Tamils."

The attacks on innocent people in the districts dominated by Tamils were conspired by the Sri Lankan Army using forces loyal to them. "Even without conducting basic investigation, the Government (of Sri Lanka) has blamed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for the Anuradhapura blast in which 64 people were killed."

Condemning the aerial attacks in Tamil areas, Mr. Vaiko said the situation in the island was "grave." Earlier, the MDMK leader took part in a demonstration in support of Sri Lankan Tamils by the "Tamil Eeelam Freedom Supporters' Coordination Committee" here.

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