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Journalism of Courage
With the ceasefire under pressure and Tamils fleeing to Indian shores, Sri Lanka plans to make an effort to reach out to the newly elected Karunanidhi government in Tamil Nadu.
There are moves to send a Presidential envoy from Colombo to Chennai in the coming days.
While an official request is yet to come, it’s learnt that Colombo is in the process of firming up who the envoy will be and whether he should be accompanied by a delegation. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse has already spoken to Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and congratulated him on being elected to the office.
It’s learnt that Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, while he was here earlier this month, had indicated that his government would soon be reaching out to the Tamil Nadu government. The meeting gains importance in the wake of increasing influx of Tamil refugees in India.This has raised concerns in New Delhi and has been conveyed to the Lankan government.
Sri Lanka is eyeing a major diplomatic success with the European Union looking to proscribe LTTE. The US too has backed the move.
While LTTE has threatened that this may have an adverse impact on the peace process, the sense in New Delhi is that Colombo must not see this as a victory but an opportunity to further the peace talks.
