The Asian Age – Ask BJP about Rajapaksa visit

Chennai, 9 September 2012. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s proposed visit to the Buddhist centre at Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh has become further vitiated with Union shipping minister G.K. Vasan insisting that his trip was at the invitation of the BJP and the UPA government had nothing to do with it.

Asked to comment on Rajapaksa’s Sanchi visit in the midst of loud opposition from several political parties in Tamil Nadu, Vasan told a reporter, “He is coming at the invitation of the BJP. You should ask them”.

Reiterating his stand against India offering military training to Sri Lankan defence personnel, Vasan said he had met defence minister A.K. Antony to emphasise the same.

He however condemned the attack on Sri Lankan pilgrims in Tamil Nadu and said, “Religion, art and sports are beyond politics and no public should be harmed.

Military training and cultural exchange are two different things and there is a need to stop giving political intonations to matters relating to culture.”

“Our approach should not harm Sri Lankan Tamils”, Vasan said, adding, “We are more concerned about the safety of Tamil Nadu fishermen. Our external affairs ministry is talking to the Lankan officials about this”.

On the coalgate scam, the minister said, “UPA stands clean and so we are ready for discussion. But BJP is scared of talks and so they are disrupting the Parliament”.

On the inclusion of OBC in government promotion list, he said, “we will take the matter up for consultation”.

http://www.asianage.com/india/ask-bjp-about-rajapaksa-visit-599

The Hindu – Sri Lankan pilgrims targeted for second day, return home

Tamil Nadu, TiruchiI, 4 September 2012. Tension over the presence of Sri Lankans in Tamil Nadu boiled over into violence as a convoy of buses carrying nearly 180 Sri Lankan pilgrims was stoned by miscreants near here on Tuesday.

The windshields and windowpanes of three buses were damaged as protesters hurled stones at Kattur.

The visitors, on a pilgrimage to Christian shrines, underwent anxious moments through their journey from Velankanni to the Tiruchi airport, as members of political parties and Tamil organisations staged protests en route.

Most pilgrims were Tamil-speaking Sri Lankans, a point that was lost on the protesters who targeted them. The police claimed that none was injured. They were escorted by a police team from Nagapattinam district, and the stone-throwing was rather unexpected, police sources said.

Eyewitnesses said the frightened occupants, including women and children, were screaming. The handful of miscreants fled the scene soon after damaging the windshields and windowpanes of the buses. “We are pursuing some clues and hope to make arrests,” Lalitha Lakshmi, Superintendent of Police, Tiruchi, said.

Later in the day, the Tiruchi district police secured eight MDMK workers in connection with the Kattur incident.

The visitors flew out of Tiruchi in a special plane on Tuesday night, many unhappy that they had to cut short their visit to famous shrines.

After being prevented by demonstrators from attending a religious event at the Poondi Matha Basilica in Thanjavur district on Monday night, they went to Velankanni Shrine on Tuesday morning. There, they were obstructed by members of the Naam Tamizhar Iyakkam and the MDMK. However, the pilgrims were protected by a strong posse of police. Nine protesters were secured.

Travelling through Tiruvarur, some MDMK workers flung pieces of footwear at the vehicles proceeding to Tiruchi. The police registered cases against them.

In Tiruchi, the police made some preventive arrests.

Earlier, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi workers staged a demonstration in Thanjavur, condemning Minister of State for Defence M.M. Pallam Raju’s remark that the training of Sri Lankan defence personnel in India would continue.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/article3859554.ece?homepage=true

The Hindu – Stop training Sri Lankan Army officials: Karunanidhi

Special Correspondent

Chennai, 28 August 2012. DMK president M. Karunanidhi on Monday took exception to the training being given to two Sri Lankan Army officials in the Defence Staff Services College, Wellington, and urged the Union government to put an end to the practice.

In a statement here, Mr. Karunanidhi said though the DMK had submitted the resolutions adopted at the Tamil Eelam Supporters Organisation (TESO) conference to the Prime Minister, urging India not to provide training to Sri Lankan Army personnel, the practice was continuing.

“India should put and end to it and hold talks with the Sri Lankan government about military training and the attack on Tamil fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy,” he added.

Mr.Karunanidhi said the Scout movement in all schools in Tamil Nadu was completely paralysed as the AIADMK government had not formally made any announcement for the appointment of president, commissioner and patron.

Tension near Sam Manekshaw Bridge

Special Correspondent from Udhagamandalam writes:

With opposition mounting to the participation of two Sri Lankan defence officers in the annual course for officer students from India and other countries, tension prevailed near the Sam Manekshaw Bridge at Wellington on Monday.

Activists overpowered

Though the bridge, which led to the Wellington cantonment, had been barricaded by the police and was out of bounds for demonstrators, some activists of the Naam Tamilar Katchi tried to force their way in. But they were overpowered by police personnel. Demonstrators, including 76 activists and four women of the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam, were arrested.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/article3829003.ece

The Asian Age – Karunanidhi calls for solutions to Sri Lankan Tamils issue

Chennai, 12 August 2012. DMK chief M. Karunanidhi on Sunday called for ‘short, medium and long-term solutions’ to address the various aspects of Sri Lankan Tamils issue.

Addressing a conclave at the Eelam Tamils Rights Protection Conference here, he said “the short-term and medium term solutions include resettlement and rehabilitation of displaced Tamils, besides reconstruction of infrastructural and civic facilities.”

“Long-term solution is a political solution which has been discussed and debated for a very long time,” the DMK patriarch told the conclave, a prelude to the international conference scheduled later for the day.

He also expressed anguish that Sri Lankan military runs ‘a state of emergency’ in the Tamil areas. The pro-Eelam meet called by the DMK has run into rough weather with city police refusing permission, forcing the party to change the venue of its much touted event, even as the Centre did a U-turn saying it had no objection to the word ‘Eelam’ (separate homeland) being used.

A single judge of Madras High court had on Saturday declined to hear a plea by Tamil Eelam Supporters Organisation, challenging the ban citing security reasons.

The matter will come up before a bench later in the day.

Recalling his fast in 2009 that was undertaken to demand a ceasefire when the war between Lankan forces and LTTE was at its peak, Karunanidhi said he had only given it up relying on the version of the Union government, which in turn ‘was misguided by Colombo’.

Based on the Sri Lankan statement that the war was stopped, the then External Affairs Minister had issued a statement, a copy of which was sent to him at the fast site, he said.

“Since I believed that the war was over, I gave up my fast, but what happened was that the Sri Lankan government misguided the Government of India and indeed the whole world. I had to rely on the version of the Government of India,” the DMK patriarch said.

Karunanidhi’s remarks are seen as the DMK chief’s first attempt to clarify why he called off the fast within a few hours of launching it, in the face of heavy criticism particularly from AIADMK that it was a drama. (PTI)

http://www.asianage.com/india/karuna-calls-solutions-sri-lankan-tamils-issue-104

The Asian Age – Jayalalithaa trains guns on Lankans

Chennai, 17 July 2012. Tamil Nadu Chief minister J. Jayalalithaa on Monday reiterated that India should stop training Sri Lankan military personnel and slammed the Centre for its ‘callous and adamant’ attitude in continuing to entertain the Lankans despite strong Tamil sentiments.

Objecting to the latest instance of two Lankan defence personnel arriving at the Defence Staff College in Wellington, near Coonoor, she shot off a strongly worded letter to PM Manmohan Singh, her third letter in recent days on the issue.

“The people of Tamil Nadu are frustrated and outraged by this callous and adamant attitude of the government of India in persistently giving training to personnel belonging to the Sri Lankan Armed Forces in India,” she told the PM.

Joining the chorus, Karunanidhi said, “It is unacceptable that at a time when the Lankan army is accused of killing Tamils, they get training in India. The Centre should desist from repeatedly doing such acts to hurt the sentiments of Tamils.”

Only a few days ago, the defence ministry shifted eight Sri Lankan airmen training at the IAF base in Tambaram to Bengaluru after protests from TN political parties. Jayalalithaa has insisted that the airmen should not receive training anywhere in India and must be sent back to the island, a demand echoed by all the other political leaders in the state.

Union minister of state V. Narayanaswamy had said that the Lankans were being given training in Indian defence facilities ‘as part of the Saarc agreement’ but CPI leader C. Mahendran was quick to point out that the Saarc agreement was only aimed at regional cooperation in education, cultural exchange, trade, and so on, but not in the field of defence.

http://www.asianage.com/india/jayalalithaa-trains-guns-lankans-879

The Asian Age – Defiant PC says won’t step down

Asian Age Correspondent

New Delhi, 8 June 2012. Union home ministry P. Chidambaram on Thursday categorically ruled out his resignation in the wake of Madras high court decision in the election petition against him saying the verdict was not a setback for him but for his rival.

Talking to reporters here, Mr Chidambaram said, “I am astonished by the monumental ignorance displayed by certain political leaders. This is an election petition. There are 111 election petitions filed against members of 15th Lok Sabha”. Reacting to the demands of the opponents, he said those who make the demand for his resignation “do not have criminal case, do not have charges and have not been questioned under Criminal Procedure Code”. He ridiculed the demand for his resignation by BJP president Nitin Gadkari and Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa.

The Madurai bench of the Madras high court on Thursday declined Mr Chidambaram’s plea for dismissal of the election petition against him by the losing AIADMK candidate R.S. Rajakann-appan in Sivaganga constituency in Tamil Nadu in 2009 Lok Sabha polls. But the court struck down two paras in Mr Rajakannappan’s petition containing allegations against returning officer, government and bank officials. He said that the verdict was not a setback for him but for his rival.

Mr Chidambaram said he sincerely hoped that political leaders will read Order 6, Rule 16 of the Civil Procedure Code and understand what is the meaning of “strike out the pleadings”. “If pleadings are struck out, it is a setback to the election petitioner and not to me,” he clarified. He further said, “That application has been partly allowed and para 4 and 5 which contain allegations against returning officer, police officers, other government servants and bank officials have been struck out”.

When asked about the claim of the lawyer for Mr Rajakannappan that except para 4 and 5, all other charges in the petition have been accepted by the court, Mr Chidambaram said “pleadings have not been accepted. Now the trial is to start. Not one witness has been examined so far”. Reacting to Jayalalithaa’s charge that out of fear of facing the case he had moved court for dismissal of the petition only to delay the process, Mr Chidambaram said “Rivals are entitled to make these demands”.

http://www.asianage.com/india/defiant-pc-says-won-t-step-down-979

The Asian Age (Deccan Chronicle) – Rajiv case: Supreme Court shifts three mercy pleas to itself

S S Negi

New Delhi, 2 May 2012 – Taking note of high ‘politicisation’ of mercy petitions by three death row convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case in Tamil Nadu, the Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the transfer of their cases to itself from the Madras high court.

“We do not consider it necessary to decide whether the support extended by political outfits and others to those found guilty of killing former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi may impede fair adjudication of the writ petitions… the registrar-general of the HC is directed to ensure that records of the three writ petitions are sent to the SC within two weeks.”

On completion of formalities of transferring the cases of death row convicts T. Sathendraraja alias Santhan, A.G. Perarivalan alias Arivu and V. Sriharan alias Murugan, a bench of Justices G.S. Singhvi and S.J. Mukhopadhya ordered listing of their cases for final disposal on July 10.

The three convicts challenged the rejection of their mercy petitions by the President after a long delay in the Madras high court, saying they suffered in solitary cells for years when their mercy petition were pending. Due to abnormal delay, they claimed, they were entitled to commutation of death sentences into life imprisonment.

The SC bench issued notices to all three petitioners informing them of the transfer order.

http://www.asianage.com/india/rajiv-case-sc-shifts-three-mercy-pleas-itself-168

BBC News – India ‘inclined’ to back UN Sri Lanka war crimes vote

Monday, 19 March 2012. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said India is “inclined” to vote in favour of a resolution against Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council.

The council is due to vote later this week on a US motion calling for a probe into alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka as its civil war ended in 2009.

Both government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels have been accused of abuses.

Mr Singh has come under pressure from India’s Tamil community to support the resolution.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party, representing Tamils in southern India, had threatened to pull out of the coalition led by Mr Singh’s Congress party if India did not vote in favour.

Violations ‘credible’  

Speaking in parliament, Mr Singh said: “We are inclined to vote in favour of the resolution if the resolution will cover our objectives, namely the achievement of a future for the Tamil community in Sri Lanka that is based on equality, dignity, justice and self respect.”

He said India would study the final text of the draft resolution once it had been received.

The Sri Lankan government commissioned its own investigation into the war last year and the UN draft resolution calls on the government to implement its recommendations.

The Sri Lankan Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) cleared the military of allegations that it deliberately attacked civilians. It said that there were some violations by troops, but only at an individual level.

But another report commissioned by the UN secretary general reached a different conclusion, saying that allegations of serious rights violations were “credible” on both sides.

Human rights groups estimate that up to 40,000 civilians were killed in the final months of the war. The government recently released its own estimate, concluding that about 9,000 people perished during that period.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-17427125

The Asian Age – Kudankulam protests costing government Rs. 50 mn a day

Mumbai, 10 March 2012. The protests against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu leading to delays in its commissioning have started pinching the government — to the tune of Rs. 50 million per day (Rs.5 crore) besides cost overruns, a top official said here on Friday.

“We are already facing a loss of Rs.five crore per day owing to these delays. This includes maintenance of the plant, payments to the site staff, and no power generation despite the plant being ready,” said a worried S.A. Bharadwaj, Director (Technical), Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL).

The KK-1 and KK-2, the first and second units of KKNPP are being constructed with the help of Russia, and KK-1, the first of the two 1,000-MW VVER plants was planned for commissioning in December 2011, followed by KK-2 three or four months later.

However, the protests and the delays have led to a serious issue, and even the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) is concerned, he pointed out, addressing media persons here Friday afternoon.

So far, a massive investment of nearly Rs. 13,000 crore has already gone into the two plants, which has now shot up to Rs. 14,000 crore in view of the commissioning delays, Bharadwaj added.

NPCIL’s Director (Projects) K.C. Purohit said that in August-September last year, the ‘hot run’ of the new plant has already been carried out.   Besides KK-1 and KK-2, there are also plans to have two more 1,000 MW VVER plants at the site, however, because of the delay, that move also hangs in balance.

“Everything depends on the final clearance. Once the Tamil Nadu government gives the final okay, we shall start our countdown. In the next three to four months, we would be able to commission KK-1 and subsequently in eight to nine months, KK-2. If we are lucky, we may be able to start the second unit before that,” said Purohit.

The NPCIL officials also cleared doubts over health and environment concerns of the locals and other concerned bodies on the occasion and are carrying out major awareness programmes on the issue on a regular basis. (IANS)

http://www.asianage.com/india/kudankulam-protests-costing-government-rs50-mn-day-771

The Hindu – Case filed against 4 NGOs for aiding Kudankulam protesters

The action came days after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had stated that non-governmental organisations have received support from abroad for leading protests

New Delhi, February 28, 2012. Tightening the noose on those opposing the Kudankulam nuclear project, the government has registered cases against four NGOs for allegedly diverting funds to fuel protests and deported a German national for assisting the agitators.

“Cases have been registered against four NGOs for violation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act,” Union Home Secretary R. K. Singh told reporters here.

The action came days after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had stated that non-governmental organisations have received support from abroad for leading protests against the much-awaited nuclear power plant.

Bank accounts of the four NGOs have been frozen after an inquiry conducted by the Home Ministry reportedly found them diverting funds meant for charity to fuel the protests.

The cases were registered by the Crime Branch of the Tamil Nadu Police and the CBI. (PTI)

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2942708.ece?homepage=true