Under enormous pressure from India, Colombo on Monday announced a halt to combat operations against the Tamil Tigers.
Under enormous pressure from India, Colombo on Monday announced a halt to combat operations against the Tamil Tigers.
Expectedly, Sri Lankan officials deny they were under pressure to call off operations because over 12,000 Tamil civilians are still trapped in the area, without basic amenities and caught in the crossfire. Asked about Indian pressure, a Sri Lankan official contacted by phone merely said: “Decisions are not taken by governments in a vacuum.”
Roughly 600 armed LTTE cadres are still in the area with their chief Velupillai Prabhakaran. The official said the war was practically over: “The Tigers have been vanquished and will have to surrender.”
Welcoming the announcement, external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee said prime minister Manmohan Singh has approved a grant of Rs100 crore for relief assistance to Sri Lankan Tamils. “The need of the hour is for urgent steps to ameliorate the humanitarian situation of those who have come out from the conflict zone as well as to bring the remaining civilians and internally displaced persons in the no-fire zone out to safety,” he said.
Home minister P Chidambaran, contesting the Lok Sabha election from a constituency in Tamil Nadu, said, “We are in touch with the Sri Lankan government and they are trying to work out the next step. However, the whole country must be relieved that hostilities have come to an end.”
He asked regional parties in Tamil Nadu not to politicise issues: “There is no purpose in scoring political points in the middle of elections. Our attempt is to give the Tamil people in Sri Lanka equal rights and respect. However, the election process should not stop. This matter will be taken over by the new government.”
Meanwhile, five Tamil protesters forced their way into the Indian High Commission in London and smashed bullet-proof glasses while thousands agitated against the Lankan military offensive. The conflict has seen demonstrations being held in several cities across the world.
With agencies
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}