TNN
New Delhi, Apr 24: Swiftly acting on Congress leadership's cue, the UPA government on Thursday decided to despatch foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon and NSA M K Narayanan to Colombo to press for a ceasefire in the war-torn country.
The two officials will leave for Colombo on Friday morning and return in the evening. Government sources said they will emphasise the need for ceasefire—something which Tamil Nadu parties have been clamouring for — demonstrable humanitarian action taking into confidence international community and tangible first step towards political resolution of the crisis.
`Mission Colombo' capped the flurry of moves initiated by Congress leadership to buffer its prospects in Tamil Nadu — the state it had swept in the last Lok Sabha polls — against the fallout of the unfolding situation in Sri Lanka. The DMK-Congress combine, which is `doubly handicapped' because of being in power at both Centre and in Tamil Nadu, has been accused by the resurgent AIADMK-led alliance of failure to protect innocent Tamils.
The effectiveness of the frantic intervention may be debatable, with Colombo till now showing no sign at all of relenting, but the Congress leadership clearly believes that it will help soothe frayed nerves in Tamil Nadu. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi herself is in charge of the manoeuvre — which is crucial given that the handsome tally from Tamil Nadu helped Congress pip BJP to the post in 2004 — for the party's bid to retake power at the Centre.
The fate of Tamil civilians who are unable to move out of conflict zone largely because of opposition from LTTE who plan to keep them as human shield, is gradually turning into an emotive issue in the state with 39 Lok Sabha seats. While the responsibility of LTTE is acknowledged here, the government has tried to balance that by calling upon Sri Lankan government to allow a pause in fighting.
Government estimates have it that there are still about 15,000-20,000 civilians trapped in the conflict zone. "We understand that over 100,000 civilians have emerged from the No Fire Zone into areas under government control in the past three days but the lives of several thousands of innocent civilians remain threatened," foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee said, adding that India was sending special emissaries to convey its concerns to Colombo.
"We are very unhappy at the continued killings in Sri Lanka. All killings must stop. There must be an immediate cessation of all hostilities," he said. The decision to send Menon and Narayanan to Colombo was taken after a meeting in the PMO attended by senior ministers and officials.
Sri Lanka, on its part, is sending a special envoy to New Delhi to explain Colombo's position. Sri Lankan high commission in New Delhi confirmed to TOI on Thursday that Basil Rajapaksa, advisor to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, is expected in India by the end of next week as the president's special envoy to explain Colombo's position on the crisis. This would be Basil's second visit to New Delhi as special envoy of the president since the Sri Lankan army cornered the Tigers.
Apparently going for the kill, Sri Lankan forces on Thursday encircled the last 8 sq km patch of area in north-eastern part of the country where they suspect Tiger supremo V Prabhakaran and his top aides are holed up. India's decision to send special emissaries coincided with announcement by UN secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon that the world body was sending a humanitarian team to Sri Lanka.
That the Centre has hardened its stand over the issue was also evident in home minister P Chidambaram's statement on Thursday that the Sri Lankan government was more to blame for the ongoing crisis. While filing his election nomination in Sivaganga, Chidambaram said that Colombo seemed to believe the problem could be solved militarily.
"We have been making the demand continuously for many days. But both the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government are not paying heed to our request," said Chidambaram, adding that Tamils needed to be accorded equal status and rights in the island nation.
After an emergency meeting with PM Mammohan Singh and defence minister A K Antony on Wednesday evening, Mukherjee also urged LTTE to stop its barbaric attempt to hold civilians hostage. He said the Sri Lankan government had a responsibility to protect its own citizens.
"There is no military solution to this ongoing humanitarian crisis, and all concerned should recognise this fact. The only lasting solution will come from political efforts to address the real concerns of the Tamil people, giving them lives of dignity within the Sri Lankan mainstream," Mukherjee said.