Colombo must act now

July 06, 2011   11:19:49 PM

G Parthasarathy

Two years after the elimination of the Tamil Tigers, President Rajapaksa is yet to fulfil his promise of meeting the aspirations of Sri Lankan Tamils.

When Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa paid her first visit to New Delhi after assuming office, she forcefully articulated her concerns on Sri Lanka. Two issues concerning Sri Lankan Tamils stir passions in Tamil Nadu. The first is the conviction that ever since the elimination of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in 2009, Sri Lankan Tamils have remained displaced from their homes and been denied basic human rights. The second concern is the attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy on grounds of their encroaching into Sri Lankan territorial waters, beyond the 285 acre, uninhabited, Kachativu Island.

Records of the British India Government since 1876 have showed Kachativu as part of Ceylon. The Raja of Ramnad in the then Madras Presidency, however, laid claim to the island in the 1920s. Kachativu was recognised by India as Sri Lankan territory in agreements signed in 1974 and 1976. The demarcation of the maritime boundary, under which India acknowledged Sri Lankan sovereignty over Kachativu, was based on the internationally recognised principle of the median line and in consonance with Article 15 of the Law of the Seas.        Full Story>>>
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Spotlighting Lankan Tamils

expreess buzz

Anuradha M Chenoy

Last Updated : 06 Jul 2011 11:28:41 PM IST

Jayalalithaa has submitted a memo to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that lists demands from post-conflict Sri Lanka. She has said that the Sri Lankan regime should be held accountable for war crimes during the last days of the fratricidal war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), where thousands of civilians were killed, hundreds of thousands became refuges, Tamil areas of the north were reduced to rubble, and humanitarian assistance to Tamils were denied. Jayalalithaa has asked that the Colombo to immediately transfer adequate powers to the north and east of the island nation so the Tamils can have autonomy of governance, a long-standing demand of Tamils. Jayalalithaa has insisted that India should impose economic sanctions against Sri Lanka if they do not comply. In effect India should change its policy to Sri Lanka.    Full Story>>>

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