Vaiko urges PM not to assist Lanka

Chennai, Aug 2: MDMK General Secretary Vaiko today said India should not provide any assistance to Sri Lanka, where the threat of a war was looming large.

In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the MDMK leader, a staunch LTTE supporter, quoting International media reports said Sri Lanka was carrying 854 armed soldiers in its troop carrier ship to intensify its army operations in Tamil areas.

Mr Vaiko ''It has come to my knowledge that Sri Lankan President Rajapakse has appealed to Dr Singh to provide Indian Naval escort and assistance to help and protect the Lankan troop carrier ship''.

''If any such assistance is provided by India, it will be an unforgivable action, amounting to directly helping the Sri Lankan Government to pursue its naval, military operations against the Tamils,'' he added.

At a time when the Lankan Government's airforce, navy and army had launched genocidal attacks against the Tamils, it was shocking that 44 Sri Lankan police personnel were being given training at the CRPF facility at Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, Mr Vaiko said and urged the Centre to stop the training forthwith and send them back.

UNI