The Hindu : Front Page : Mahinda Rajapaksa invites Karunanidhi, Jayalalithaa

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Tuesday, Jan 27, 2009
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Mahinda Rajapaksa invites Karunanidhi, Jayalalithaa

B. Muralidhar Reddy

Wants them to persuade LTTE to release civilians

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa has invited Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa to visit Jaffna and Wanni and personally appeal to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to release the civilians held as “human shield at gunpoint.”

A report posted on the President’s Secretariat web site quoted Mr. Rajapaksa as telling Asian Tribune (an internet daily) that his government is ready to provide safe corridors for the civilians to go through the army controlled areas to safer places, but it is up to the LTTE to release civilians.

“If Mr. Karunanidhi is interested in a ceasefire he can persuade the Tamil Tigers to lay down their arms and announce it publicly so that arms surrender could be worked out in a mutually acceptable way as proposed by Mr. Karunanidhi and the Sri Lanka Government,” the web site quoted Mr. Rajapaksa as saying.

Mr. Rajapaksa said he held Mr. Karunanidhi in high esteem and the Chief Minister could even bring along with him a delegation consisting of Tamil Nadu political leaders.

He also extended an invitation to Ms Jayalalithaa to visit Sri Lanka and see for herself the prevailing situation.

The President put the number of Tamils ‘held’ by the LTTE as anywhere between 150 and 200 thousands.

“The LTTE is holding them as a human shield for its own safety and security. They are all kept in Wanni at gunpoint. Even women, old people and children are not being allowed to leave the area despite appeals by United Nations and the international community,” he said.

Asked about demands for a ceasefire, he said it was up to Mr. Karunanidhi how he goes about the task.

“Once the LTTE surrenders arms and gives an undertaking before the Indian leaders that they are ready to join the democratic mainstream, our government is ready to consider favourably a ceasefire.”

Mr. Rajapaksa said the ‘liberated’ Tamils of the North would be brought back to the democratic mainstream and measures taken to ensure that they lived in Sri Lanka with honour and dignity like other ethnic groups in other parts of the nation.

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Text of President Rajapaksa's announcement

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