Joint patrolling to overcome problems of fishermen

by Thava Sajitharan

A member of the Tamil Nadu State Assembly, Hussain Ali whose constituency (Ramanathapuram) bears the most number of Sri Lankan refugees said when the Assembly met on Thursday he proposed that the House appeals to the Indian Central Government to have joint patrolling by the Indian and Sri Lankan naval forces to overcome the problems faced by fishermen of the two countries.

Mr. Hussain Ali, a member of the Congress Party, in an exclusive telephone interview with the Sunday Observer said that he also called upon the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi to appoint a committee to be sent to Sri Lanka to learn the present situation in Sri Lanka and help end the agony of the Tamils living in the island.

Referring to a request by G. K. Mani, a member of Pattali Makkal Katchi, to pass a resolution in the Assembly asking the Centre not to provide training to the Sri Lankan Air Force, Hussain Ali said his party and its leader opposed the idea and prevented it from happening.

Mr. Ali said he called upon the Chief Minister not to jeopardise the fishermen of his district by passing such a resolution and hence harming the good relationship between the two countries. "If the Indian government declined to provide training to the Sri Lankan Air Force, it will lead to the Pakistan Government offering to train the Lankan forces. I asked if the Indian government wanted that to happen". he said.

He also said he had faith in President Mahinda Rajapaksa and hoped he would bring about peace to the island. President Rajapaksa, during his recent visit to the subcontinent was reported to have expressed appreciation that India was providing training to the Sri Lanka Air Force.

In response to these issues the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister appealed to the Centre to "make appropriate efforts to end the agony of the island Tamils and enable them to acquire all rights and live in peace", Hussain Ali said.