Chennai, Feb 03: The ruling DMK on Tuesday asked the
Centre to work with Colombo to find a permanent solution to
the ethnic problem by ensuring full devolution of powers and
autonomy to north and eastern areas of the island within a
timeframe.
It asked the Sri Lankan Government to extend full
cooperation in this regard.
"As a first step, the Centre should immediately take
steps to workout a permanent solution which would ensure full
devolution of powers and autonomy to Tamils living in northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka within a timeframe.
Sri Lankan Government should extend its full cooperation to this effort," said a resolution passed at the party's executive committee meeting.
The meeting, presided over by party President and Tamil
Nadu Chief Mininster M Karunanidhi, decided to mobilise public
support for the DMK's stand by holding public meetings and
rallies throughout the state from February 7 to 9.
The DMK has convened an executive committee to formulate its course of action on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue.
To counter the Sri Lankan Tamils Protection Movement
(SLTPM), floated by pro-LTTE parties like the PMK, MDMK,
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and Tamils National Movement,
the meeting decided to form a Sri Lankan Tamils Welfare Rights forum in association with like-minded parties, who wanted a solution to the ethnic struggle in "a democratic way".
The meeting was held in the backdrop of External Affairs
Minister Pranab Mukherjee's recent visit to Colombo and a
general strike called by the SLTPM on Wednesday.
Mukherjee undertook the visit to Colombo after the Tamil
Nadu Assembly passed a resolution making "a final appeal" to
the Centre to intervene and arrange for a ceasefire, the
resolution said.
Bureau Report
First Published: Tuesday, February 03, 2009, 00:00