Vaiko, Nedumaran want Lanka envoy to pay for ‘pro-Sinhala’ e-mail to media

Express News Service (Chennai): Strongly condemning an alleged e-mail that was written by the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India Prasad Kariyawasam that Sinhala people in the island nation were of North Indian origin and that India must aim to protect them more than the Tamils, MDMK General Secretary Vaiko on Wednesday demanded that he be arrested and prosecuted.

In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Vaiko alleged that in the e-mail circulated to media houses recently, the High Commissioner had tried to sow the seeds of hatred and rancour in the minds of people of North Indian states by spreading untruths that Sinhala people had their origins in North India and States like Odisha based on the epic Mahavamsa.

“The High Commissioner had stated that 75% of the Sinhala race originated from Kalinga, that is Odisha, and only 12% of the Tamil population in Sri Lanka share ethnic links with Tamil Nadu,” Vaiko pointed out.

He alleged that the officer had misused diplomatic immunity and therefore should be booked under Section 124A of the IPC and prosecuted.

Similarly, PMK founder S. Ramadoss said that the High Commissioner had violated norms set in the Vienna Convention. Therefore, the officer should immediately be sent back, he said.

World Tamils Federation President Nedumaran, speaking to reporters in Thanjavur also wanted Kariyawasam to be expelled for meddling with the internal politics of the country.

In a related development, a cross-section of politicians praised the resolution passed in the State Assembly, urging the Centre to approach the United Nations Security Council for conducting a referendum in Lanka. CPI State Secretary D. Pandian said it represented the “collective conscience of the Tamils”.

Similarly, Vaiko said the resolution was a historic one. “My appreciation to the Chief Minister,” he said.

But CPM State Leader G. Ramakrishnan said the resolution did not reflect the situation in Lanka. “Neither stating that Lanka is not a friendly state nor calling for referendum will solve issues of the Lankan Tamils,” he said.