Indian govt has ‘betrayed’ Sri Lankan Tamils, says MDMK General Secy Vaiko
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) General Secretary Vaiko has said that the Indian government has betrayed Sri Lankan Tamils following their abstention from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) vote on the resolution on promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka.
“This is a complete betrayal done by the Indian government on the Sri Lankan Tamils. Only because of elections in Tamil Nadu, the Indian government walked out of the voting otherwise they would have voted in favour of Sri Lanka. I condemn the manner in which the Indian government has conducted itself,” Vaiko said on Tuesday.
He added: “What happened in Sri Lanka was not a civil war but was a genocide.1.37 lakh Sri Lankan Tamils were murdered. Schools and hospitals were bombed. In 2009, the Sri Lankan government had starved the Tamils to death.”
Vaiko further said that the international society had failed to intervene to end the sufferings of the Tamils in Sri Lanka.
“Sri Lankan External Affairs Secretary Jayanath Kolambakey said four days back that India would support Sri Lanka in this issue and just like his statement, the India government’s representation has walked out from the voting session on this issue.
Meanwhile, AIADMK leader Kovai Sathyan said, “Still the door is open to put pressure on the UNHRC to take it up again. It is good to know that China has voted in favour of the resolution which clearly shows that international pressure will be mounting. In international politics, if India takes a stand and it is opposed by China and backed by Russia then the mission might not accomplish.”
“I think it is a good move. I think we still have the doors open and we will definitely pressurise the central government to act on the same,” he added.
Tamil Nadu will go to polls on April 6 and the counting of votes will be done on May 2.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
