Indian Govt. says watching Lanka situation, Karunanidhi's ultimatum to PM, Sonia

New Delhi/Chennai, Apr.21 (ANI): Minister of State for External Affairs, Anand Sharma, said Tuesday that the Indian Government is carefully monitoring the emerging situation in Sri Lanka, and was well aware and concerned about the plight of civilian Tamils in the island nation.

He, however, said that Prabhakaran is a proclaimed offender and the LTTE is a terrorist outfit and it should be treated on par with such other organisations,"

Hiss comment to a television channel came as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi sent a telegram to the Centre warning both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to help halt the war in Lanka.

In a telegram to Gandhi, Singh and External Affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee, Karunanidhi said the Indian government should issue an ultimatum to Colombo to halt the war in Lanka immediately.

The DMK chief also urged the UN and the international community to intervene immediately to halt violence in Sri Lanka.

Congress spokesperson Veerappa Moily said that India is keeping a close watch on the developments in Lanka and that no measure will be taken in haste.

Moily said that they have always asked that the Tamilians in Lanka should be protected. He fruther said that Tamilians in Sri Lanka must not be hurt in the offensive.

Sri Lankan forces on Tuesday launched new offensives and captured more territory from the Tamil Tigers as thousands of trapped civilians continued to flee the northern war zone.

Minutes after the expiry of the ultimatum to LTTE Supremo V Prabhakaran to lay down arms, Sri Lankan forces seized Puthumathalan hospital and breached the eastern coast of the no-fire zone, a government spokesman said.

The Lankan forces attack virtually sliced the small 17 sq kilometers strip of land held by the Tigers into two and came as the number of people fleeing the war zone crossed a record figure of 52,000. (ANI)