'Drop idea of joint-patrolling with Sri Lanka'

Madurai, June1: Tamil Nationalist Movement President Pazha Nedumaran demanded that the Centre drop the idea of entertaining joint-patrolling of the strategic Palk-Straits by the navies of India and Sri Lanka, describing it as a ploy by the island nation to engage New Delhi in its fight against the Tamil Tigers.

In a statement released to the media here, he appealed to the Chief Minister M Karunanidhi to take up the issue with the Centre and dissuade it from entertaining any such idea.

Reacting to the stand of National Security Advisor M K Narayanan, who called Mr Karunanidhi, earlier in the day at Chennai, Mr Nedumaran, a known LTTE supporter, warned that joint-patrolling would be a misadventure, similar to the IPKF operation of late Rajiv Gandhi, who was misled by the then Sri Lankan President J R Jayawardene.

UNI