Rosaiah demands justice for war victims in Sri Lanka

Governor K. Rosaiah delivers the customary address to the State Assembly at the Secretariat in Chennai on Wednesday. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa (third from left) looks on. Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam

• B. KOLAPPAN-January 20, 2016
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The Indian government should prevail upon the Sri Lankan government to take action against those who had committed crimes against Tamils in the last phase of the war, Tamil Nadu Government K. Rosaiah demanded in the state Assembly on Wednesday.

But the entire opposition parties staged a walkout alleging the ruling AIADMK government had failed in all fronts and its failure to release water from Chembarambakkam Lake caused the flood in Chennai.

DMK floor leader M.K. Stalin told reporters that even though his party had demanded a judicial inquiry into the issue, the state government had not given any proper response so far. The Governor’s address also made no reference to the issue.

Recalling the resolution adopted in the state Assembly asking the Indian government to take steps to adopt a resolution in the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for an international inquiry into the war crimes and violations of the Geneva convention by the Sri Lankan government, he expressed the hope that the Indian government should persuade Sri Lanka to restore the Tamil families their lands. “It should ensure equal rights and an opportunity to live peacefully with dignity,” he said.

The Governor also condemned the regular attacks on Tamil fishermen and seizure of their boats and nets by the Sri Lankan Navy, saying the reluctance on the part of the Sri Lankan government in releasing fishing boats even after the release of fishermen had caused agony among the fisher folk in Tamil Nadu.

“It is our duty to find a lasting and permanent solution to this issue by retrieving Katchatheevu and restoring traditional rights of our fishermen,” he said.

To reduce the fishing pressure in the Palk Strait and also to expand deep sea fishing capabilities to tap the untapped deep sea fisheries, the Governor wanted the Centre to sanction a comprehensive financial package of Rs. 1,520 crore for the purpose.

Mr. Rosaiah said the highest rain fall in a single day in the last 100 years caused devastating floods and inundated large parts of Chennai and coastal districts. He also urged the Centre to release Rs. 17,432 crore demanded by the state government in the supplementary memorandum to undertake restoration works without delay.