Ruling DMK wants Centre to put more pressure on Lanka

In a resolution adopted at the party's executive meeting, it said the government should prevail upon Sri Lanka to protect the rights of the Tamils and take measures for their peaceful existence.

DMK's resolution came even as the Lankan army closed in on the last foothold of the LTTE and claimed killing seven top rebel leaders, including Charles Antony, son of Tamil Tigers' chief Velupillai Prabhakaran whose fate is still unknown.

The deaths of top LTTE leaders came a day after the Tamil Tigers conceded defeat saying the decades-old battle has reached its "bitter end" and they have decided to "silence" their guns.

The plight of Sri Lankan Tamils had emerged as one of the key issues in the just concluded Lok Sabha polls with bitter rivals AIADMK and DMK, both favouring formation of a separate Tamil Eelam.

The DMK meeting also congratulated Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi for taking UPA to victory for a second successive term.