2ND LEAD

Stop military aid to Sri Lanka: PDK submits one million signatures to Indian defence minister

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 February 2008, 19:57 GMT]
Several hundred activists of the Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (PDK) marched towards the Indian Parliament Wednesday morning demanding the Indian Government to immediately stop military aid and assistance to the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL). As a part of the protest, the activists, including 100 women and children, dressed as wounded Tamils marched from Jantar Mantar to Parliament Street and submitted a memorandum at the Prime Minister's office. PDK leaders on Thursday met Indian Defence Minister A K Antony at his residence and submitted a petition signed by one million Indian Tamils demanding that India stop all military aid to Sri Lanka.



The team that met Mr. A. K. Antony consisted of PDK President Kolathur Mani, General Secretaries Viduthalai Rasendiran and Kovai Ramakirutinan and Treasurer Duraisamy.

PDK President Kolathur Mani said that the Tamil Nadu government refused to grant permission for a rally in support of Eelam Tamils led them to hold a major demonstration in the national capital. He pointed out that Indian Finance Minister P Chidambaram and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee have always stressed that the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka cannot be resolved a militarily, and could only be solved through dialogue.

Kolathur Mani further said that his organization was involved in collecting one million signatures from the Tamil Nadu people to seek an end to all aid and assistance to the Sri Lankan forces by India.

He blamed the Rajapaksa government for the killing Tamil parliamentarians. He argued that the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu were hurt because of Indian support to Sri Lankan forces.



PDK general secretaries, Viduthalai Rasendiran and Kovai Ramakirutinan also took part in the march. The leaders condemned the closure of the A-9 highway to Jaffna for the past two years has added to the misery of the island's Tamils who have become refugees in their own land. They criticized the GoSL for blocking food and medicine supplies to Tamil areas.

The activists shouted slogans against Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa for the "genocide of Tamils."



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