No support to LTTE - Congress
INDIA: The Congress said it was worried about the situation in Sri
Lanka, but said it was not supporting the cause of the LTTE or its chief
Prabhakaran.
“We are only concerned about the civilian casualties. We are not
supporting the cause of LTTE and Prabhakaran. It is a banned
organisation in India,” Congress Media Department chief M. Veerappa
Moily told reporters on Saturday.
Asked whether the move by DMK MPs to resign within a fortnight was a
threat to the UPA Government, Moily said they have only expressed their
concern.
To a question what the government can do beyond expressing concern,
Moily said that in bilateral relations, such things do matter.
Meanwhile, Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee is
likely to undertake a visit to Sri Lanka shortly to discuss the
situation, sources said yesterday.
The decision in this regard is understood to have been reached during
a telephone conversation between President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Indian
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The two leaders are believed to have decided that Mukherjee will meet
Sri Lankan leaders and assess the situation, the sources said.
President Rajapaksa, who called up Singh told the Prime Minister that
the military operation in the North is “in no way directed against
civilians,” the sources said.
He told Singh it was the desire of his Government to bring about
normality as early as possible.
The two leaders discussed the issue of displacement of Tamil
civilians in the North with President Rajapaksa assuring Singh that the
displaced Tamil civilians caught in the conflict between security forces
and the LTTE would be resettled as soon as possible.
He said in fact there were more internally displaced persons in the
East which is being quickly addressed.
Meanwhile, hundreds of fishermen from Chennai, Tiruvallur and
Kancheepuram districts were detained by police after they tried to lay
siege on the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission in Chennai on Saturday.
There was tension in the air as the fishermen tried to force their
way into the Deputy High Commission office.
They were blocked by the police.
More than 100 fishermen were arrested on the charge of violating Law
and Order.
PTI
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