DMK should urge Centre to ensure Lanka ceasefire:Ramadoss

Chennai, Nov 1 (UNI) Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder-leader Dr S Ramadoss today said collection of Relief Fund for Sri Lankan Tamils by the DMK government would be meaningless if it failed to exert pressure on the Centre to ensure ceasefire in Lanka.

Talking to newspersons here, he said the relief fund might be of help to mitigate the sufferings of the Tamils to some extent, but this alone would not help to solve their problems.

He alleged after the state government announced collection of funds and relief materials for Lankan Tamils, the main issue of stopping the genocide against the Tamils by the Lankan government has taken a back seat.

The resolutions adopted at the all party meeting, convened by the DMK government on October 14, urging the Centre to prevail upon the Sri Lankan government to declare ceasefire and stop genocide of Tamils, has been put on the backburner, the PMK leader charged.

The state government's announcement with regard to collection of Sri Lankan Tamils Relief Fund has diverted the main issue, he said, adding the upsurge among the people in the state, in support of the Lankan Tamils, has also subsided.

Ceasefire was the immediate need of the Tamils in Lanka and once the military offensive was stopped, the Tamils would seek relief on their own, Dr Ramadoss said.

''We have failed in our effort to pressurise the Indian government to prevail upon the Lankan government to declare ceasefire'', he said, adding Chief Minsiter M Karunanidhi owed an explanation about the problem in making the Centre to act.

The Chief Minister should further exert pressure on the Centre to ensure ceasefire in Lanka, he said and added the Centre and the state government, through the United Nations, should launch legal proceedings against Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

UNI WS RJ AS1830