Tamil Nadu urges India to arrange peace talks in Lanka

Asking New Delhi to arrange peace talks in Sri Lanka to work out a 'proper political solution' to end the ethnic conflict in the island, the Tamil Nadu assembly today unanimously passed a resolution.

"India should arrange for talks between the two parties and help arrive at a political solution", the resolution said, without making a direct reference to either the Sri Lankan government or LTTE and other Tamil groups.

The Indian government should come forward to organise a meaningful dialogue for a proper political solution to bring peace in Sri Lanka, it said.

Replying to a special call attention motion for arranging peace talks in Sri Lanka to end the conflict moved by the AIADMK, Congress, PMK, CPI, CPI(M) and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Chief Minister M Karunanidhi said India should arrange for talks between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE.

"The Centre should come forward to arrange useful talks between the two," he said.

Earlier, the House witnessed noisy scenes after the PMK raised some objectionable remarks against the Congress on the Sri Lankan issue, to which the Congress members, led by their party leader D Sudharashanam, protested.

The PMK members retaliated by shouting against the Congressmen, resulting in pandemonium in the assembly.

Repeated pleas by the Speaker R Avudaiyappan to members to remain seated fell on deaf ears as both parties kept on shouting.

Later, the remarks of PMK and Congress members were expunged.

Source: outlookindia

52 LTTE & 38 soldiers killed in the north

Image: defence.lk

At least 52 Tamil Tigers and 38 soldiers were killed and scores wounded in fierce fighting Wednesday between advancing Sri Lankan troops and the rebels in the northern Jaffna peninsula, the military said. Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said that heavy fighting broke out when the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) “launched a pre-dawn attack on the military’s forward defences at Kilali and Muhamalai areas.

“At least 52 LTTE cadres were killed during these clashes. The death toll of the soldiers has risen from 15 to 38,” he said, adding 84 soldiers were also wounded in one of the worst outbreaks of fighting this year.

“Some of the wounded soldiers have been airlifted to Colombo for further treatment,” he said.

“Our troops successfully retaliated the LTTE offensive and went forward about 500 metres into LTTE-held areas along the eight-kilometre Forward Defence Line from Muhamalai to Kilali,” Brig. Nanayakkara said.

He said the Sri Lanka Army’s 55 and 53 divisions “are now consolidating their newly captured positions”.

Meanwhile, the pro-LTTE Tamilnet website quoted rebel sources as saying that the military’s pre-dawn attempt to break into LTTE-held areas on the northern front had been “fully thwarted”.

“Sri Lanka Army units that attempted to break the Forward Defence Line of the LTTE in Kilali, Muhamalai and on several other positions were forced to retreat, leaving behind dead bodies,” the report claimed.

Claiming that the fighting lasted well over eight hours, it said that the Sri Lankan Army suffered heavy casualties as the Tigers put up stiff resistance.

“Casualty details would be released after the ongoing clearing mission is completed,” the Tigers said.

The escalation in violence between the advancing government troops and the LTTE in the Wanni, Jaffna and Mannar regions has left hundreds of combatants dead.

Independent verification of the battlefront casualties are not possible because journalists are barred from visiting the area.

Fighting has escalated in Sri Lanka since December 2005. The military captured the whole of the eastern province from the LTTE last year and it is now trying to seize rebel territory in the north.

Source: thaindian