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| Sunday, 14 July 2002 |
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Tamil parties back detained T'Nadu politico by S. Selvakumar Sri Lankan Tamil political parties are calling on the Indian government to secure the release of fiery Tamil Nadu politician Y. Gopalaswamy who has been arrested by the Tamil Nadu police for his outspoken support for the LTTE. The TULF-led Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has issued a public statement to this effect and is likely shortly to submit to the Indian High Commission in Colombo a letter addressed to the Indian government calling on Delhi to intercede with Chennai and obtain Mr. Gopalaswamy's release. Mr. Gopalaswamy popularly known as 'Vaiko' is the leader of the small, radically Tamil nationalist, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (MDMK) which is currently in alliance with the ruling BJP-led coalition government in Delhi and is hostile to the AIA-DMK government of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha Jayaram. Vaiko was detained under the controversial new POTA anti-terrorism law last week after Chief Minister Jayalalitha directed the State police to take action against the MDMK leader for his recent public speech in support of the LTTE. Vaiko has long been known as a powerful supporter of the LTTE and of Tamil secessionism. He was arrested on Thursday at Chennai airport when he arrived from the United States and was produced before a Magistrate and remanded till August 7. Following Thursday's arrest of Vaiko, thousands of his supporters courted arrest and according to reports from Chennai almost all jails in Chennai are overflowing with his supporters. Meanwhile, Vaiko in a statement issued from the Vellore prisons has said that he was very proud to go to jail on behalf of Sri Lankan Tamils. The Tamil National Alliance through its general secretary R. Sampanthan yesterday issued a statement in Colombo condemning the arrest and detention of Vaiko. |
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