Chennai:
Sri Lankan President Rajapakse arrives in India on Tuesday on a 4-day visit, but he is far from being universally welcomed. Tamil organisations in South India have been protesting against the visit. They say he is responsible for the genocide of Sri Lankan Tamils during the bitter conflict between the government and the LTTE.
The anger over the condition of Tamils in Sri Lanka was evident in the streets of Chennai. Protests were organised against the visit of Sri Lankan President Rajapakse, spearheaded by MDMK chief Vaiko, who tried to march to the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission in Chennai.
Vaiko was stopped by police and taken into preventive custody. But his sentiments were echoed in other south Indian cities, including Bangalore, which saw a protest at the Mahatma Gandhi statue.
"We strongly oppose the coming of Mr Rajapaksa because he has committed a genocide that history has never seen. Three lakh Tamils were killed, nearly six lakh were uprooted. Still three lakh people are displaced in the camps. So, we totally oppose coming to India. He should be sent back, that is our demand," said Jananayagam of the Karnataka Tamil Peoples Association.
Rajapakse is scheduled to meet the Prime Minister, President, External Affairs Minister and Sonia Gandhi during his visit to India. And the government will need to balance carefully the importance of good neighbourly relations and the clear hostility of pro-Tamil groups towards the state guest.
The anger over the condition of Tamils in Sri Lanka was evident in the streets of Chennai. Protests were organised against the visit of Sri Lankan President Rajapakse, spearheaded by MDMK chief Vaiko, who tried to march to the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission in Chennai.
Vaiko was stopped by police and taken into preventive custody. But his sentiments were echoed in other south Indian cities, including Bangalore, which saw a protest at the Mahatma Gandhi statue.
"We strongly oppose the coming of Mr Rajapaksa because he has committed a genocide that history has never seen. Three lakh Tamils were killed, nearly six lakh were uprooted. Still three lakh people are displaced in the camps. So, we totally oppose coming to India. He should be sent back, that is our demand," said Jananayagam of the Karnataka Tamil Peoples Association.
Rajapakse is scheduled to meet the Prime Minister, President, External Affairs Minister and Sonia Gandhi during his visit to India. And the government will need to balance carefully the importance of good neighbourly relations and the clear hostility of pro-Tamil groups towards the state guest.
