[1]Chennai: MDMK Leader Vaiko today appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his intervention to save the lives of 19 Eelam Tamils currently living in Dubai and to ensure that they are not deported to Sri Lanka.
"I humbly request you to take urgent necessary steps on a war footing to save these 19 Tamils taking it up with the Government of UAE. You may kindly ensure the safety and security of these 19 Tamils and on humanitarian grounds see that they are not deported to Sri Lanka at any cost",
Vaiko said in a letter to the PM. He said 45 Eelam Tamils left for Australia on October last from Tuticorin and due to rough conditions, the ship was rescued by a cargo ship which took them to Dubai where the people sought asylum through the International Red Cross.
According to Dubai authorities, Vaiko said 19 Tamils who have been given asylum in Dubai were in the process of being sent back to Colombo.
Vaiko who has been fighting for the cause of Sri Lankan Tamils pointed out in his letter that Karini, a newsreader of Tamil Eelam National TV channel was among the 19 Tamils living in Dubai and feared that she could also meet the same fate of Isai Priya, also a popular news reader of the same Tamil channel who was allegedly gang-raped and killed by Sri Lankan Army in the event of her deportation.
Links:
[1] http://archive.asianage.com/vaiko-1jpg-263