Condemning Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s accusation during the Rio +20 meet in Brazil that fishermen from Tamil Nadu were trespassing into Lankan waters and plundering resources, thereby denying the Lankan citizens access to their own resources, PMK founder S Ramadoss on Friday demanded that India “react strongly” to the remark.
The allegation was made with an intention to invoke a particular clause in the laws governing oceans, where such plunderers could be awarded a 20-year prison sentence, Ramadoss said in a statement issued here.
Although Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met Rajapaksa after his speech, there seemed to be no indication of any action in response to the remark, the PMK leader said.
The “soft policy” of the UPA government towards Lanka, citing the growing Chinese influence in the island nation, was encouraging Rajapaksa to make such comments, he charged.
Already, over 600 fishermen have lost their lives in attacks by the Lankan navy and scores have been arrested, Ramadoss alleged and urged the Centre to give up its soft stance towards Lanka as this would “turn into a threat to the country’s security.”