Pro-Tamil emotions are running high in Tamil Nadu, especially after 61 schoolgirls died in a Sri Lankan air force raid in the
Mullaitheevu region.
CHENNAI: As the undeclared war rages on in Sri Lanka, pro-Tamil emotions are running high in Tamil Nadu, especially after 61 schoolgirls died in a Sri Lankan air force raid allegedly on an orphanage in the LTTE-controlled Mullaitheevu region on Monday.
The state assembly on Thursday passed a resolution condemning the bombing as an "uncivilised, barbaric and inhuman act" by the Sri Lankan forces. Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, who later criticised the "wicked" attitude of the Sri Lankan government, asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to urge the Sri Lankan government to "stop killing innocent Tamils and peacefully settle the issue".
Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), a constituent of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) has already demanded India's intervention "to protect the interests of the Sri Lankan Tamils and bring back peace" in Sri Lanka. "The bombing is similar to those in Lebanon," PMK leader S Ramadoss said.
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) leader Vaiko said the Centre should send a delegation of MPs to find out the truth about the "orphanage bombing". This comes after the Sri Lankan deputy high commission in Chennai issued press releases saying the aerial strikes were carried out on LTTE training camps, where "child soldiers" might have been present.
Two other pro-Eelam groups, the Dalit Panthers of India (DPI) and the Tamil Nationalist Movement (TNM) have given a call for state-wide protest against the "brutal murder of innocent Tamils in Sri Lanka". Demanding a "military intervention by India to stop the killings of Tamils in Sri Lanka", DPI leader Thol Thirumavalavan cancelled his birthday celebrations on Thursday to observe a one-day fast in Chennai.
Meanwhile, the flow of Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka to Rameswaram continues, taking their total number since January to more than 7,000. Hours after the "orphanage bombing", a suspected LTTE attempt on Pakistan High Commissioner Bashir Wali Mohamad had killed seven others in Colombo.
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