Congress MPs to submit a report to PM about Sri Lanka visit

Chennai: Members of Parliament belonging to the Congress party who were part of the parliamentary delegation to Sri Lanka said Saturday that a report about the visit would be submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

An Indian parliamentary delegation led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj had been to Sri Lanka from 16 to 21 April to see firsthand the rehabilitation program for the internally displaced people (IDP), mainly Tamils, there.

Speaking to reporters here on their return the four MPs – N.S.V Chithan, M. Krishnasamy, E.M Sudarsana Natchiappan and Manik Tagore – termed the visit as fruitful.

They said there is a sense of fear amongst the Tamils in some areas in Sri Lanka. The community is under constant watch by the Sri Lankan army and they had asked the island nations’ Government there to call back the army, they said.

According to Natchiappan, the MPs delegation visited various places in Sri Lanka including the Menik farm where Tamils are lodged.

He said the number of people lodged in the Menik camp is around 6,000 down from 250,000 during the last visit by Indian MPs in 2010.

They said the Sri Lankan Government has assured them that the remaining inmates would be resettled soon.

According to the MPs, the Indian delegation have impressed upon the Sri Lankan Government to devolve powers to the Tamils there.

The Indian parliamentary delegation met Tamil representatives and the affected Tamils and heard their problems.

“We met President Mahinda Rajapaksa and told him what needs to be done and he in turn assured us that whatever he could do, would be done,” said Natchiappan.