The Ceylon News

DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Sunday welcomed India's appeal to Sri Lankan government to seize the ceasefire offer made by LTTE and pause the hostilities to help people trapped in conflict zones, saying it came as a "whiff of fresh air."
In a letter to party workers, Karunanidhi recalled External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's statements yesterday in Tuticorn that "the opportunity (LTTE announcing ceasefire) must be utilised to facilitate the movement of innocent Tamil people out of the war-affected areas to secure zones, where proper rehabilitation is possible."

"Mukherjee's words come as a whiff of fresh air to our burning hearts," he said expressing confidence that UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh endorsed Mukherjee's statement.

The appeal had come about due to various pro-Sri Lankan Tamils activities in Tamil Nadu including adopting resolutions in the state Assembly and suicides committed by persons calling for ceasefire in the island nation, he said.

"The Government of India's call for a ceasefire gives me great relief," he said while equating it to the satisfaction over the successful medical treatment he had underwent for the last one month for back pain.

Karunanidhi said he joined the Centre in pressing for a ceasefire in Sri Lanka.

"Today no politician can mislead the Tamils. They suffered for the last three decades," Karuna said.

On whether he apprehended that the IDP camps in Vavuniya would be turned into concentration camps, Karuna blamed "pro-LTTE elements" for spreading such fears.

"LTTE sympathisers still want to make these allegations to mislead the international community. These IDPs need to be protected, not from anyone else, but from Prabhakaran," he said, accusing the LTTE leader of "torturing Tamils more than Hitler did to the Jews.

"There is no doubt, a tight security system is needed to protect them as well as to stop LTTE infiltration. Those who talk about the proposed camps should never forget Prabhakaran's human bombs sent to kill IDPs. The government has a good plan for resettlement of IDPs," Karuna said.

On the reasons for the success of the present government against LTTE, Karuna hailed the successful policies of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, saying the earlier governments fought the LTTE "to get political mileage".

"President Rajapaksa never expected anything from Prabhakaran and he invited the LTTE for negotiations, but when Prabhakaran was becoming more of a problem, the President banned the LTTE as a terrorist movement," Karuna said.