Rajapakse calls up PM, says Tamil civilians are safe

NEW DELHI: Realising the importance of keeping India on his side, President Mahinda Rajapakse called PM Manmohan Singh on Saturday to assure him that Colombo was not out to punish the Tamil civilians caught in the fighting between the security forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The President assured India that all measures are being taken for the safety of Tamils who are also citizens of Sri Lanka.

The DMK has threatened to withdraw support to the government unless India ensured the safety of Tamils in the northern province in Sri Lanka.

President Rajapakse’s call followed the summoning of the Sri Lankan envoy Romesh Jayasinghe by foreign secretary Shivshanjar Menon to express New Delhi’s concern at the plight of civilians living in the northern peninsular.

Earlier this month national security adviser MKNarayanan had also delivered a similar message to Jayasinghe’s deputy.

Both the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government know the importance of New Delhi’s role in the conflict. The Tigers, having made the mistake of turning India against them by assassinating former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi are now also turning to India at a time when it has been militarily weakened by the army’s unrelenting action to drive the Tigers out from their headquarters in Killinochi.

Karunanidhi has taken up the cause of Tamil civilians with an eye to national elections which are likely early next year. With the pressure of keeping the DMK leader in good humour, the PM is taking a tough public stand on behalf of the Tamil minorities in the island and hoping to soothe its key ally.

“Prime Minister expressed his deep concern on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the north of Sri Lanka, especially on the plight of the civilians caught in the hostilities. He emphasised that the safety and the security of these civilians must be safeguarded at all costs,’’ a statement issued by the PMO said.

Singh also warned Rajapakse that “the rights and the welfare of the Tamil community of Sri Lanka should not get enmeshed in the on-going hostilities against the LTTE.’’ He reiterated that there was no military solution to the conflict and urged the President to start a process for a peacefully negotiated political settlement.