‘Team from Tamil Nadu must replace Norwegian’

Minister Chandraseka with LTTE Leader V. Prabhakaran in Wanni ( File Picture)

(January, 15, Chennai,Sri Lanka Guardian) Minister P. Chandrasekaran has been camping in Chennai to exert pressure on the Mahinda Rajapaksa government to restore the ceasefire agreement and bring out a good devolution package for the minority Tamils in Sri Lanka.

Speaking to media on Monday (14), Chandrasekaran, who handles the ministry of community development and social inequity eradication, said India alone could help find a solution to the ethnic Tamil problem in his country.

The objective of his visit was to find a suitable team comprising Tamil leaders that could replace the Norway delegation so that talks between the LTTE and the government can be once again taken up, he said. He would meet all Tamil political leaders cutting across party lines including chief minister Karunanidhi, AIADMK supremo J. Jayalalithaa and MDMK leader Vaiko. He would try and impress upon the leaders that the Union government change its approach to the Lankan issue, he said.

Explaining that the 2002 ceasefire agreement, which has since been revoked, had affected the livelihood of Tamils, he said unemployment and terrorism are rising in his country. "The LTTE and the problem of ethnic Tamils are two different issues facing the government and they should be dealt with on an individual basis. The LTTE is fighting for power in the northern province, whereas the ethnic Tamils most of them tea plantation workers fight for basic rights including proper education, hygiene and sanitation," he said.

Whenever the devolution of powers is raised in parliament, it is agreed in principle to make efforts to address the issue, but nothing is done on the ground. "It is possible for a powerful country like India which easily feels the political pulse of Asian countries and is capable of guiding and diverting the international political events to bring an end to the ethnic problems in Sri Lanka," the minister said.