CHENNAI: Opposition leaders in the State including DMK chief M Karunanidhi, PMK founder S Ramadoss, VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan and TMC leader GK Vasan on Friday expressed shock and disappointment on India's support to the UNHRC resolution calling for domestic probe into the findings of the three-member UN panel on human rights violations against Sri Lankan Tamils.
Karunanidhi blamed the Union government for ignoring the Tamil Nadu Assembly resolution for an international probe and said "Tamils who are without a nation have become orphans. The US, England, China and even India are with Sri Lanka."
Whether the diluted resolution would be implemented honestly was doubtful, the DMK patriarch said and added that 14 agreements signed by various Sinhalese leaders were not implemented.
Even the present Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe agreed to create two States in the island: one for Tamils and one for Sinhalese, but did not fulfill the promise, the DMK leader said.
Citing Indian representative Ajit Kumar's speech that India would work for equal rights and dignified life for Lankan Tamils, Ramadoss said, "If India is firm on Tamils' rights, it should get justice for Tamils who were affected by war crimes. Allowing Lankan courts to conduct war crimes enquiry while claiming to get Tamils' rights was only deceiving Tamils."
Ramadoss said the Indian government was silent on its stand on the Tamil Nadu Assembly resolution calling for an international probe and finally supported a resolution favourable to Lanka.
Thol Thirumavalavan said, "When lakhs of Sinhalese army are stationed in Tamil areas, how will people come forward to give evidence freely? When there is no chance to remove the military camps and evict the Sinhalese settlements, how will the enquiry be independent? However, since Tamils need international co-operation, it should monitor the probe inch by inch and bring its anomalies to the democratic forces in the world."
Vasan doubted if the enquiry would be impartial and alleged that India did not reflect the opinion of Tamil Nadu people. Besides, India's move was against the unanimous resolution in the Tamil Nadu Assembly calling for an international probe.
The MDMK leader Vaiko had already opposed the resolution saying that justice for Tamils had been murdered.