Chennai: Chief minister J. Jayalalithaa on Saturday, in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, registered her strong protest against the Centre, demanding that the ministry of defence not participate in naval exercises in Sri Lanka and that it recall the two Indian Coast Guard ships scheduled to participate in the event.
“I wish to convey our strong protest against this insensitive policy of defence co-operation with Sri Lanka which totally ignores the impact it may have upon not just the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu, but the direct effect on the right to livelihood of the fishermen in the coastal districts of the state,” a copy of the letter addressed to Mr Singh read.
“The government of India has still chosen to ride rough shod over the groundswell of emotions in Tamil Nadu and has persisted with its policy stance towards Sri Lanka. In fact, the government of India has extended an open hand of co-operation to the Sri Lankan Navy through the defence related exercise,” she pointed out.
Further, she said this is the same Sri Lankan Navy which continues to prey upon innocent fishermen from Tamil Nadu with impunity and subjects them to abduction, arrest, torture and long periods of detention.
“This was an overt act of defence co-operation with a nation that puts down its own hapless Tamil minority citizens and perpetrates serious human rights violations,” she wrote, recalling that the state assembly passed four resolutions in this regard, expressing public sentiment on the issue.
