India must take a historic stance on Tamils issue: Jayalalithaa

Tuesday, 19 March 2013 01:20 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

PTI: With emotions running high in Tamil Nadu on Sri Lankan Tamils issue, Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on Monday asked India to take ‘historic’ and ‘courageous’ steps to move amendments to the US-backed resolution at the UNHRC to “assuage the deeply hurt sentiments” of people.

“To assuage the legitimate sense of outrage and deeply hurt sentiments, it is absolutely important that India takes a strong stand in support of the US-sponsored resolution in the 22nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council and more importantly moves necessary independent amendments to further strengthen the resolution,” she said.

In her letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Chief Minister recalled she had earlier twice taken up with him, including in person, the need for New Delhi to take up the issue of war crimes and slapping economic sanctions on Sri Lanka till Tamils were fully resettled. Quoting a report of the Office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Tamils, she said there was “a continued and sorry saga of human rights violations against” them.

She charged that the Rajapaksa government was ‘not keen’ on genuine reconciliation or even to allow the Sri Lankan Tamils to be rehabilitated, “let alone start life as equal citizens in that country, which is reflected in the lack of adequate action even on a relatively mild UNHRC resolution.”

“At this juncture, the ongoing 22nd Session of the Human Rights Council is the most appropriate forum and occasion to mount further pressure on Sri Lanka to ensure accountability is established under an international framework for the war crimes and genocide committed in the closing stages of the civil war and the ongoing gross human rights abuses,” she said.

India must take a “strong, historic and courageous stance” in this matter and not just support the US-sponsored draft resolution on ‘Promoting Reconciliation and Accountability in Sri Lanka,’ but strengthen it further through suitable amendments that would make the resolution unambiguous in intent and effective in implementation, she said.