SL envoy apologises to TN MPs
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Lankan high commissioner Prasad Kariyawasam was forced to apologise on Thursday for asking India to probe politicians sympathetic to LTTE. His apology came even as the issue rocked Rajya Sabha with members from TN crying violation of norms.
Mr Kariyawasam was summoned to South Block and asked to clarify his controversial remarks. He said the ministry of external affairs 'expressed very clearly the concerns of the Indian government'.
Mr Kariyawasam, however, maintained, “What I meant to say was LTTE lobby groups abroad and in this region are running a campaign of disinformation [against Sri Lanka].” This, he said, was aimed at disrupting the reconciliation process in his country.
The developments put further pressure on the government unable to come up with a clear stand on a US-initiated resolution on ‘Promoting Reconcilia-tion and Accountability in Sri Lanka’ at the UNHRC session in Geneva. While DMK and AIADMK are urging the government to support the resolution, New Delhi does not want to jeopardise relations with Lanka. The resolution comes up for a vote on March 23.
Law students stage rail roko for tamil cause
Students of Government Law College blocked the Bengaluru-Ernakulam Express at the Coimbatore railway station on Thursday demanding India’s support for the US backed resolution against Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
Around 21 students, blocked the train that arrived here around 12.45 pm. The protesters prevented the train from continuing with its journey for almost 40 minutes. The students raised slogans against the Lankan government for killing thousands of civilians at the time of the LTTE war.
They also condemned External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna’s declaration that India would not vote against any individual country.
The railway police then arrested 21 students from the tracks, after which, the train resumed its journey.
In another incident, a group of students of the Government Law College held a demonstrated for the same cause at the office of the district collector here in the afternoon.
The police also arrested three activists of Hindu Makkal Katchi, a political outfit, who protested at the Collectorate office for the same cause.
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