Despite hundreds of Tamils dying in Vanni daily, Indian premier Manmohan Singh wants to ‘wait and see’ for the Rajapakse regime to put forward a devolution package, something it has not managed to do for over three years.
In a letter to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Singh wrote: ''Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse has very recently reaffirmed his commitment to a devolution package, which, he said, will fully satisfy the Tamils,'' and added ''We may wait and see what steps are actually taken,''
The letter, which tries to project India setting up a military field hospital near the eastern port city of Trincomalee as a major achievement, is aimed at defending the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Congress from attacks by Tamil Nadu political parties in the context of Sri Lankan issue ahead of Parliamentary elections.
Most Tamil political parties in the state of Tamil Nadu have accused the Central and state governments of abandoning the Sri Lankan Tamils to their fate.
Singh’s letter, dated March 19, which was a reply to a February 22 letter written by the Chief Minister, further stated: ''During discussions with Sri Lanka, we have consistently proposed temporary cessation of hostilities, which could be utilised to facilitate movement of the Tamil population out of the war affected areas to safety zones, where proper rehabilitation facilities could be arranged.''
''Our concerns regarding the plight of the Tamils were explicitly reiterated. Certain suggestions to ameliorate their conditions were proposed, the most important being an offer to set up a Field Medical Unit/Hospital to cater to the civilians and internally displaced persons evacuated from the war zone.”
''The Sri Lankan side has responded enthusiastically to this offer and the field hospital has been established and it is functioning well,'' he said.
''The Sri Lankan side has responded enthusiastically to this offer and the field hospital has been established and it is functioning well,'' he said.
