DMK to protest in Parliament against attack on fishermen

In the wake of fresh attack by Sri Lankan security forces on 13 fishermen from Tamil Nadu’s Nagapattinam district, the DMK on Tuesday decided to hold a protest demonstration in Parliament complex against the Centre on Wednesday over ‘repeated attacks’ on state fishermen.

DMK parliamentary party leader T R Baalu said in a statement that his party “will organize a demonstration near the Gandhi statue inside Parliament complex on Wednesday to demand a permanent solution to the atrocities being committed by the Sri Lankan Navy (against Tamil Nadu fishermen) without any further delay.”

Balu said he had informed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about the DMK’s protest when a delegation of party MPs earlier called on him on Tuesday in New Delhi. They handed over a letter from DMK President M Karunanidhi, outlining the resolutions adopted at the party’s recent Tamil Eelam Supporters Organization (TESO) meet in Chennai, on steps to be taken by the Centre to resolve the Tamils ethnic crisis in Sri Lanka.

Steps suggested by DMK included India taking the initiative to bring a resolution in the U N General Assembly and UNHRC “for bestowing Sri Lankan Tamils the right to decide a political solution for themselves,” as was resolved at the TESO meet, besides appropriate measures to protect Indian fishermen from attacks by the Sri Lankan Navy.
 
DMK MPs S S Palanimanickkam, Dayanidhi Maran, T K S Elangovan and Ms. Kanimozhi were part of the delegation who met Singh in the National capital.

The prime minister assured the delegation of  ‘appropriate action,’ a DMK press release here said.