India has duty to protect Lankan Tamils: Lankan politician

Bangalore, Oct 21 (UNI) Sri Lankan United Socialist Party General Secretary Siritunga Jayasuriya today said the Indian Government had a duty to protect the Tamils in Sri Lanka as part of the 1985 Indo-Lanka Accord.

At a public meeting here on 'Sri Lankan Experience and its Lessons for South Asia,'Mr Jayasuriya said the accord, which promised a Homeland for Tamils in Sri Lanka, is an ''Indian baby'' and the country had the duty to look after it properly.

''The Indian Government should come out with serious and concrete solutions and just statements by Indian politicians about protecting the nationality rights of Tamil minority in that country will not be sufficient,'' he said.

Mr Jayasuriya also blamed the LTTE and its leader Prabhakaran for boycotting the previous Parliament elections, resulting in the Rajapakse Governement coming to power.

The entire scene would have changed if the LTTE had taken part in the election, he said.

Stating that more than 20,000 Tamils were killed in the last 25 years, he said it was a classic case to showcase the failure of the rulers to solve the fundamental problems of the society.

He also opposed the Indo-US Nuclear Deal, saying the nuclear plants to be set up along the coast will have serious radiation effects on his country.

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