Sri Lankan Tamil lawmaker seeks amnesty for surrendered LTTE

Chennai, June 1 (ANI): R Sambandan, a lawmaker of Sri Lanka now on a visit to India has sought amnesty for surrendered Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

The leader of Tamil Nationalist Alliance said this while speaking to mediapersons here on Sunday.

Sambandan said that the Tamil rebels should be provided with opportunities so that they can lead normal life in the mainstream of society.

"Even the legitimate rights of these people, in a situation when the war has come to an end, has got to be seriously considered. Normally in any situation they are given amnesty, and they are granted pardon, and people will be with opportunities to return to normal life," he added.

Sri Lanka on May 18 declared victory over the LTTE after 26 years of insurgency and fighting the rebels in northern part of the island nation.

However, according to officials of the United Nations, this victory has come at a cost. Human rights groups have repeatedly criticised the Sri Lankan security forces and the LTTE for causing the death of a large numbers of civilians. (ANI)