Jayalalithaa sabotaging peace, say Tamil parties

Topic started by SL Tamil (@ h216-18-119-45.gtconnect.net) on Fri Jul 19 12:41:44 .
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Jayalalithaa sabotaging peace, say Tamil parties

Colombo, July 19. (UNI): Sri Lankan Tamil parties, demanding the release of Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (MDMK) General Secretary Vaiko, have accused Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa of trying to "sabotage" the ongoing peace process in the island nation.

"Vaiko has been arrested for his pro-LTTE stance. The arrest clearly shows the hostile attitude of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister towards the Sri Lankan Tamils as well as to the resolution of their long-standing suffering," Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) senior vice-president Joseph Pararajasingham said yesterday at a rally in Batticaloa town to condemn the arrest and demand the release of Vaiko.

The alliance of four Tamil parties, led by TULF, organised simultaneous mass protest campaigns yesterday in the Eastern Batticaloa and north-western Mannar towns against Jayalalithaa's move.

"The Tamil Nadu Government has humiliated the Tamils all over the world by arresting Vaiko under the newly-introduced anti- terrorism law at a time when the international community is supporting the peace initiative," Pararajasingham said.

He said that Vaiko was one of the leaders in Tamil Nadu who had been articulating their voices for the Tamil brethren in Sri Lanka and the "just freedom struggle" of the LTTE.

Another TULF MP, G Krishnapillai, said: "The Tamils in this country have accepted the LTTE as their sole representative. Even the Government of India and countries like the US have hailed the truce agreement between the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE and urging them to go for talks.

"Therefore, the act of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister at this juncture is certainly aimed at subverting the ongoing process."

Thousands of Tamils, including students, teachers and government employees, participated in the procession organised by the alliance. According to the reports from the East, protesters were holding anti-Jayalalithaa placards and shouting for the immediate release of jailed Vaiko.

A memorandum addressed to Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, President of India K R Narayan, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, and Jayalalithaa was handed over to the respective District Secretariats of Batticaloa and Mannar.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which has 15 seats in the 225- seat Parliament plans to stage another protest fast in Vavuniya on July 23.

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