'Government unsympathetic to Lankan Tamils'

DMK president M. Karunanidhi Saturday said the central government does not seem to understand the continued suffering of Sri Lankan Tamils who have lost their livelihood and their rights.

Referring to President Pranab Mukherjee's address to parliament Feb 21 on the Sri Lankan issue Karunanidhi said they are just a string of words and did not echo the pain of the Tamilians.

"We are making progress in our engagement with Sri Lanka, including in our efforts to resettle and rehabilitate the internally displaced persons there and to ensure a life of peace, dignity and equality for the Tamil people," Mukherjee said in parliament.

Incidentally, the DMK is one of the major constituents in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in the centre with Karunanidhi's elder son M.K. Alagiri himself being a cabinet minister.

According to Karunanidhi, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa uses the assistance provided by India for the welfare of Sinhalese while securing them by showing himself as a person who cares for Lankan Tamils.

Karunanidhi added that the changing of Tamil village names to Sinhalese, razing down of Hindu temples, encroaching of Tamil lands and properties by Sinhalese continue to happen in the island nation.

At a time when the world is gearing up to condemn and punish Rajapaksa as a war criminal it is not understood why the central government continues to say the relationship with Sri Lanka is progressing, Karunanidhi said. - IANS