The Hindu : Front Page : "Centre will be consulted before taking action against LTTE sympathisers"

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 29, 2007
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"Centre will be consulted before taking action against LTTE sympathisers"

Special Correspondent

Steps will be taken to secure release of 12 fishermen abducted by Sea Tigers

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Government will consult the Centre before deciding on initiating action against outfits and political leaders supporting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi informed the Assembly on Saturday.

Expressing shock at the complicity of the LTTE in the abduction and killing of fishermen belonging to Kanyakumari district last month, he said the Government would take immediate steps to secure the release of 12 fishermen reportedly detained by Sea Tigers.

Responding to Congress member C. Gnanasekaran's demand for the arrest of Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Vaiko and for a ban on organisations supporting the LTTE, Mr. Karunanidhi said he would seek the opinion of the Centre on these issues.

In this context Mr. Karunanidhi referred to a statement of Mr. Vaiko "daring the Government to arrest him for determinedly supporting the LTTE, claiming that the final war was being fought in Sri Lanka and describing the arrest of MDMK functionary Seema Basheer as vindictive action."

The arrest of South Chennai Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam representative Hidayatullah on the previous day in the same case itself was a proof of the Government's neutrality in upholding law and order, he said.

Contrary to the erstwhile impression of all the political parties in the State that the Sri Lankan Navy was behind the abduction of fishermen of Tamil Nadu, the Chief Minister said he was pained to inform the House about the LTTE's involvement in the incident.

Recalling that he had denied Mr. Gnanasekaran's contention of LTTE's involvement during a debate on the Police demands, Mr. Karunanidhi said he did so on the basis of information available to him and as Chief Minister he did not want to come to a hasty conclusion then.

Now it had been confirmed that the 12 fishermen, including 10 belonging to Kanyakumari, one each from Tuticorin and Kerala, who set out to sea on March 4, had been abducted by a group of Sea Tigers and kept in their control in a camp.

Preliminary enquiries revealed the Sea Tigers were behind the killing of five fishermen of Kanyakumari district. The information was obtained from the six Sri Lankans arrested from a damaged boat bearing the name `Maria,' he said.

Mr. Karunanidhi also recalled the letters sent to the Prime Minister pleading for rescuing the missing fishermen, besides suggesting measures to step up vigil along the coastline.

`Positive' information

The Tamil Nadu police on Friday tried to get some information on the 12 abducted fishermen through Sea Tigers secured by the Coast Guard. Some "positive information regarding their release" was received, but it was not known how soon they would be released, a senior State police officer said when contacted.

Efforts were on to ascertain the identity of those who shot dead five fishermen off the Kanyakumari coast a month ago. The police strongly suspect that there were 20 persons in the boat from which shots were fired at the fishermen on March 29.

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