India for devolution of power in Lanka

New Delhi may offer Rs 500 cr for rehabilitation of Lankan Tamils

New Delhi may also send Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon and National Security Adviser M K Narayanan to Colombo to prod President Mahinda Rajapaksa  for an early start of the political process to address the root causes of the ethnic conflict.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said New Delhi was preparing a package of nearly Rs 500 crore for rehabilitation of the Tamils displaced by the war in Sri Lanka’s northern provinces.
He said New Delhi would be sending senior officials and special envoys to Colombo soon to discuss with the Sri Lankan government the utilisation of the rehabilitation package offered by India.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had earlier announced a relief package of Rs 100 crore for the Tamils in Sri Lanka in addition to Rs 25 crore extended by the Tamil Nadu government.

Mukherjee revealed New Delhi’s plan for providing Colombo with yet another rehabilitation package after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK supremo M Karunanidhi arrived in New Delhi to hold talks with Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi on the formation of the new government at the Centre.

Karunanidhi told journalists he had discussed with Singh and Gandhi the issue of the plight of the Tamil civilians trapped in the conflict zones, besides seeking New Delhi’s intervention. He said both had assured him of ‘speedy efforts’ to ensure rehabilitation of the Tamil population affected by the war.

A day after cautiously reacting to Sri Lankan government’s claim that the soldiers of its armed forces had finally gunned down LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, New Delhi hinted it would now step up pressure on Colombo for an immediate start of the process of effective devolution of powers to the provincial legislatures. India believes devolution of powers will address the grievances of the island nation’s Tamils.
DH News Service

Violent protests in Tamil Nadu

Violent protests erupted in parts of Tamil Nadu on Tuesday following the death of Prabhakaran and other top leaders of the LTTE, reports IANS from Chennai. In Vellore, members of the Viduthalai Chiruthaikal Katchi organised a sit-in during which some buses were stoned. Around 90 prisoners in the Coimbatore Central Jail went on a hunger strike to protest the killing of Tamils in Sri Lanka by the army.