C. V. Wigneswaran called upon India to act upon its “legal and moral obligations” to ensure Tamils in his country live in peace
Mr Wigneswaran pointed out that India had provided military, political and intelligence assistance to Sri Lanka during the final stages of the war (early 2009) "clearly based on the premise and/or promise that there would be meaningful political
Chennai: Chief minister C. V. Wigneswaran of the Northern Province in Sri Lanka on Sunday called upon India to act upon its “legal and moral obligations” to ensure that the Tamils in his country live in peace and enjoy equal rights. “State violence in Sri Lanka continues”, he said. By signing the 1987 accord with Sri Lanka, India had accepted the responsibility as its “guarantor and underwriter” to intervene when Colombo failed to address its key aims such as “addressing Indian strategic interests, Sri Lankan sovereignty and the collective rights of the Tamils of the North East”, Mr Wigneswaran said in his lecture to commemorate the birth anniversary of legendary human rights lawyer, the late K.G. Kannabiran, organised by the People’s Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL) here.
“In the absence of external pressure, there can be no hope of the Sri Lankan government changing its recalcitrant position. We, in the Northern Province, remain open to cooperation but have only faced broken promises and interference”, said the former judge of the SL Supreme Court in the oration repeatedly cheered by the packed audience at the Vidyodaya School auditorium. This is his maiden foreign trip after assuming office as the CM of the Northern Province in October last year.
Also, Mr Wigneswaran pointed out that India had provided military, political and intelligence assistance to Sri Lanka during the final stages of the war (early 2009) “clearly based on the premise and/or promise that there would be meaningful political solution”, made not just to India but also to the UN. “That’s why India helped. Government of India thought that Colombo would bring about settlement of the Tamil issue if it (Delhi) helped in the war”, he said, regretting that the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime did not move even an inch towards the path of resolution.
Instead, the Tamil rights continued to be trampled upon even as the intimidating militarisation of the north continued to such an extent that it was now mandated that even simple school functions must invite military officers.
( Source : dc )
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