New Delhi: India should "seriously" take up with Sri Lanka the frequent attacks by its navy on Tamil
Nadu fishermen and give it a stern warning, MDMK leader Vaiko said on Saturday.
During a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the MDMK leader voiced serious concern over such attacks and alleged that the Indian Navy and Coast Guard remained "idle spectators" and have made no attempt to protect the fishermen from the state.
"Is it not the duty of the Government of India to take up the matter seriously with the Government of Sri Lanka, giving stern warning against the attacks on our fishermen?" he asked.
In a memorandum to the Prime Minister, he said the foreign policy of the UPA government on the ethnic Tamil issue, the "unjustifiable" assistance given to Colombo and the "utter failure" of the Indian Navy to act have caused "unbearable resentment" among the people of the state.
The MDMK leader alleged that the Sri Lankan government, under the pretext of fighting the war against the LTTE, committed "genocide" against Tamils. "Instead of preventing the massacre, the Government of India provided all logistic and military support to the Sri Lankan government," he alleged.
"To add insult to the injury, the Government of India gave a red-carpet reception to the President of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapakse and honoured him at the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games," he said.
Vaiko thanked the Prime Minister for the safe return of Kayalvizhi, an advocate of Madras High Court, who was allegedly detained by the Sri Lankan Army when she went to that country with a valid passport and visa.
PTI
