(Colombo Lankapuvath January 31) India lauded the Sri Lankan Government’s announcement of granting a safe passage to civilians trapped in the northern parts of the country on Tuesday (31). India also hopes that the condition of the civilians will improve in the future. The Government of India welcomes this important announcement and hopes that with the implementation of these steps, the condition of the civilians caught up in the conflict, will improve,” said Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon on late Thursday night (29).
Reacting to the announcement made by President Mahinda Rajapkasa, urging the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to allow free movement of civilians trapped in northern areas to ensure their safety and security Menon said that they are happy to see the measures taken by the Sri Lankan Government.
Menon said that that the safety of civilians figured prominently in discussions between External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee with President Rajapaksa when the former visited Colombo this week.
President Rajapaksa has offered a safe passage to all the civilians trapped in the conflicted areas of the country and that vacating the LTTE-held areas will ensure their physical security and enable peace, freedom and rights for all citizen of the country, said the foreign Secretary.
We understand that necessary instructions to this effect, to enable the implementation of these steps, have been given,” he added
Menon’s remarks came amid concerns expressed after political parties in Tamil Nadu about the plight of Tamil civilians caught in the conflict between the government troops and the LTTE.
When Mukherjee visited Colombo on Tuesday, President Rajapaksa told him that he had invited Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and AIDMK leader J. Jayalalitha to Sri Lanka to persuade the Tigers to lay down their arms and enter into the democratic mainstream.
Mukherjee said the humanitarian situation in the northern war-zone came up for discussion and President Rajapaksa assured him that his Government would minimise civilian sufferings.
“In course of our discussions, President Rajapaksa agreed to expand the safe zones and also ensure that there is no shelling, firing in the safe zone,” Mukherjee told reporters in New Delhi soon after his return on Wednesday (28).
President Rajapaksa appealed to all concerned to allow the civilians to go to the safe zones so that food, shelter, medicine and safety could be provided to them,” he said.
We further requested and the President agreed to ensure that the relief material, which we are sending, reaches the persons who are affected by the impact of this conflict,” Mukherjee had said.
