India asks LTTE to lay down arms

India yesterday asked the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to give up their weapons and said it was ready to work with Sri Lanka to evacuate civilians caught up in the war zone.

Making a statement in the Lok Sabha, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the LTTE would “best serve the interest of the Tamils by immediately releasing all civilians (under its control) and laying down arms”.

Pointing out that the LTTE was an outlawed group in India, the Minister added that it “has done much damage to the Tamil community”.

The Indian Government, he added, “is ready to facilitate the evacuation of civilians trapped in the area of conflict, working with the Government of Sri Lanka and the ICRC.”