CHENNAI: Expressing surprise over reports indicating denial of visa by the Centre to a United Nations team probing human rights violations in Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to grant them visa to enable them to hold a fair probe. In a letter to the Prime Minister yesterday which was released to the media today, Jayalalithaa said, “if the media reports are true, this would be a bitter disappointment to the people of Tamil Nadu who are ..
United Nations Human Rights Council met in Geneva in March and mandated an international investigation into the human rights violations in the island nation during the final stages of civil war.
DMK chief M Karuananidhi reacted as well, expressing anguish over the reported denial of visas to the UN probe team. “Tamils worldwide expect the Indian government to permit the team to begin investigations from Chennai,” he said demanding that the Centre spell out its stand.
In a letter to Modi, Jayalalithaa said, “If the media reports are true and India has actually refused visas to the UN committee probing the human rights violations in Sri Lanka, this would be a bitter disappointment to the people of Tamil Nadu who are determined to ensure that the Sri Lankan regime is held to account for its heinous acts against Tamils.”
Given that India was geographically Sri Lanka’s closest neighbor and a number of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees were still residing in the state, India was definitely a place that any team probing human rights violations in Sri Lanka should visit to conduct its inquiries, Jayalalithaa said. “This would go a long way in assuaging the strong sentiments prevailing among all sections of society and the polity in Tamil Nadu.”
The chief minister recalled four resolutions passed in the Tamil Nadu assembly in the past condemning the continuing discrimination against the Tamil minorities in Sri Lanka and violation of human rights.