Tamil Nadu leaders to meet Manmohan Singh to discuss Sri Lankan issue

Chennai, Nov 25 : Top leaders from Tamil Nadu will meet Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on December 04 to discuss the Sri Lankan issue.

The decision was taken at an all-party meeting convened by Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi in Chennai today.

The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) party boycotted the meeting.

Political parties in Tamil Nadu have been reiterating their demand for ceasefire between the Sri Lankan forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Expressing his worry over the Tamil crisis in the Island nation, Karunanidhi said that the Sri Lankan government has not declared ceasefire yet to resolve the issue.

"The relief materials sent to the affected Tamils are reaching them without any hindrance and the distribution is going on well, but our worry is that there is not ceasefire yet to solve the issue," Karunanidhi told a news conference after the meet.

The LTTE supporters in India alleged that the Indian government gives weapons to Sri Lanka, but New Delhi says it only provides non-lethal equipment.

Diplomats say India also provides intelligence to Colombo that has helped Sri Lanka to intercept Tiger boats.

Meanwhile, Communist Party of India (CPI) staged a demonstration across the state on Tuesday to demand Center's intervention to resolve the Sri Lankan issue.

Scores of CPI activists courted arrest in Chennai.

"Genocide must be stopped. Hence, we made a demand to all-party (for a) resolution and then a unanimous resolution was passed in the assembly, yet the central government has not responded to this genuine request and the demand on humanitarian ground," said T. Pandiyan, CPI's state secretary.

Sri Lanakan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on November 13 during his visit to New Delhi ruled out possibility of ceasefire till the rebels laid down arms.

The Tigers say they are fighting to establish a separate homeland for Sri Lanka's Tamil minority, which they allege has been marginalised by successive governments in Colombo led by the Sinhalese majority since independence from Britain in 1948.

But the Sri Lankan government says the rebels must be destroyed, because they are on a host of terrorism lists including those from the United States, India and Europe, and adds that it is increasingly confident of defeating them soon.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has ruled out any Indian involvement in solving the conflict, which New Delhi says must be solved through dialogue.

ANI