DPI wants Lankan Dy High Commissioner to be sent home

Chennai, Aug 19 (UNI) The Dalit Panthers of India (DPI) today appealed to the Centre to order the immediate closure of the office of the Deputy High Commissioner (DHC) of Sri Lanka here and deport the DHC, as he had criticised a resolution of the state Assembly.

In a statement here, DPI General Secretary Thol Thirumavalavan said the Assembly had passed a unanimous resolution condemning the recent killing of 61 schools girls of an orphanage at Chensolai village in the island, allegedly by the Lankan army.

This 'inhuman act' of the Sinhalese Government was condemned by everybody including U N Secretary General Kofi Annan, UNICEF and other organisations. The Lankan authorities had no guts to criticise these comments but had condemned the Tamil Nadu Assembly resolution.

It amounted to degrading and lowering the dignity of the house and questioned the sovereignty of the Union Government, he said.

He said the criticism also insulted the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu and justified the act of the Lankan Government.

He warned that if the Centre did not deport the DHC, the DPI would begin a state-wide struggle.

Meanwhile, Secretary of the Tamil Nadu State Unit of the CPI T Pandiyan urged the Union Government to extend humanitarian aid like food and medicine to the affected Tamils on humanitarian grounds.

In a fax message to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a copy of which was made available to the press here, he said the party had received distress calls from Sri Lankan Tamils. He wanted the Government to ensure supply of food and medicine through appropriate channels.

CPI(M) State Secretary N Varadharajan also urged the Centre to take political and diplomatic efforts to prevent outbreak of civil war in Sri Lanka.

In a statement here, he condemned the killing of 61 children at Mullaitheevu area in the island nation, and said the Centre should initiate steps to restore peace in the trouble-torn nation.

He said Tamils in Sri Lanka were feeling insecure because of the heightened clashes between the military troops and the LTTE leading to increase in arrival of refugees to Tamil Nadu.

Both the Lankan government and the LTTE should drop their confrontationist stand and initiate steps to resume peace talks, he added.

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