Lanka opposes 'Eelam Conference'

Chamikara Weerasinghe

Indian Police have denied permission to the DMK to hold a forum titled 'Eelam Conference' at YMCA grounds at Royapettah in Chennai on Sunday.

Some members of Tamil National Alliance, who had been invited to take part in the conference, yesterday said they had decided not to attend the conference. Another invitee to the conference Nawa Sama Samaja Party Dr Wickramabahu has reportedly told the media that he may not be able to participate in the conference because of a visa problem.

According to diplomatic missions in India, the Indian missions in foreign countries have denied visas to those planning to go to Chennai to attend the conference.

On being asked about the 'Eelam Conference' and the impact that such meetings could have on Sri Lanka, External Affairs Ministry Secretary Karunathilaka Aqmunugama yesterday said,

"Parleys such as these are organized to discuss and induce separation in other sovereign states can only create tensions.

"We have informed our High Commissioner in Delhi and Deputy High Commissioners in Chennai that this conference is in no favour of Sri Lanka and it stands to do no good." "Meets of this kind have a greater potential for producing negative effects. They could emerge as a serious threat against the country's ongoing national reconciliation efforts," he explained. "We have taken diplomatic measures to resolve the matter," he said. Indian External Affairs Ministry has reportedly said in a communique to Karunanidhi and TESO, the organizers that they have no objection to the proposed international conference with foreign participants, provided the word "Eelam" is dropped from the title of their conference.

Tamil National Alliance MP M A Sumanthiran yesterday said on being asked about their participation at the TESO- organized conference. " We have been invited to the conference, but we have decided not to take part in it."

" TNA MPs decided against participating in the conference about a week ago mainly because of the Eastern Provincial Council election," he said. Asked to give other reasons that influenced their decision, Sumanthiran said, " there were uncertainties about the conference being held."

The conference was originally planned to be held on August 5 at Villupuram, which date was changed by the organisers to facilitate foreign participation. DMK Chief Karunanidhi has announced if the ban on their conference should persist they will hold the conference at Anna Arivalayam. However , the participation of foreign leaders, including several Tamil political leaders from Sri Lanka, is unlikely at the conference as the Indian missions have refused visas to them, Indian media reported.