PM assures assistance to Tamils in Sri Lanka

Chennai, Nov 16: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has announced that India will dispatch humanitarian assistance to Tamils in Sri Lanka, taking note of the situation in strife-torn northern and eastern parts of the island nation.

In a reply to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's letter on the killing and injuring of hundreds of Tamils in Sri Lanka by armed forces, he said 5,200 MT of rice, 1,500 MT of sugar and 300 MT of milk powder would be dispatched.

Due to the ongoing fighting, a severe scarcity of commodities was prevailing in the Tamil-dominated northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka.

Dr Singh asserted that India's interest in a solution to the ethnic problem in Sri Lanka that would protect the interest of that country's Tamil citizens within the framework of a united and federal Sri Lanka was ''deep and continuous.'' However, the priority at this time had to be to ensure full respect for humanitarian standards so that civilian casualties were prevented, he added.

He said the Foreign Secretary would visit Colombo to convey India's concerns to the Sri Lankan Government and the need to provide Tamils of Sri Lanka the same rights and privileges as were granted to all other citizens.

''I also propose to convey this to President Rajapakshe in an appropriate fashion when I next meet him,'' he said in the letter, a copy of which was circulated to the media here.

Stating that there could be no justification for the killing of innocent women and children, the Prime Minister said India was making known its deep concern and anguish at the recent spurt in violence in Sri Lanka which had resulted in civilian casualties among the Tamil population.

''We will reiterate to the Sri Lankan Government, as we have repeatedly done in the past, that there is no military solution to the problem and the only way out is a negotiated political settlement that will accommodate the genuine rights of the Tamils through a process of devolution of powers,'' he added.

UNI

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