Sri Lankan Tamil parties write to Modi on attacks against Tamils in Karnataka
COLOMBO: Seven Sri Lankan Tamil parties have written a joint letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing “deep concern” about the attacks on Tamils in Karnataka over the Cauvery waters issue.
The letter dated September 14, was handed over to the Indian Consul General in Jaffna, A.Natarajan, by top leaders of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK); Eelam Peoples’ Revolutionay Liberation Front (EPRLF); Peoples’ Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE); Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO); Eelam Peoples’ Democratic Party (EPDP); Tamil National Peoples’ Front (TNPF); and Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF).
The letter noted that the Tamils of Karnataka have been undergoing “immense suffering” due to the recent disturbances, but expressed confidence about the ability of the Governments of India, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, to act in concert to restore normalcy and ensure the safety and security of the Tamils in Karnataka and the Kannadigas in Tamil Nadu.
The letter appreciated the efforts being taken by the governments of India, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to contain the violence and restore normalcy.
Earlier, Maravanpulavu Sachithananthan, the spirit behind the Tamil parties’ move, told the media that it should be the bounden duty of the Tamils of Sri Lanka to express concern over the plight of the Tamils in Karnataka, as the Tamils of the state had supported the Tamils of Sri Lanka when this community was under attack.