http://indiaenews.com/2006-08/18856-tamil-nadu-assembly-condemns-sri-lanka-killings.htm

Chennai - The Tamil Nadu assembly Thursday unanimously passed a resolution condemning the killing of 61 school girls in Sri Lanka's north by air force jets apparently targeting the Tamil Tigers.

Members observed silence for two minutes to pay homage to the dead children in Mullaitivu district.

Speaker R. Avudiayappan tabled the condolence resolution and expressed shock and grief over the killing of the girls at the 'Sencholai' orphanage Monday. The resolution termed the mass killings 'uncivilized, barbaric, inhumane and atrocious'.

It said: 'There can be no two opinions on putting an end to the attacks, which cannot be forgiven.'

Sri Lanka says it only targeted a training camp of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and has insinuated that the dead girls were 'child soldiers'. The LTTE said they were school students attending a session on first aid.

The resolution noted that Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi had appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to persuade Sri Lanka to 'stop the killing of innocent Tamils … and find a solution through peace talks'.

Karunanidhi had Wednesday described the orphanage killing as 'atrocious'.

'There should be a full stop to such incidents as they cannot be condoned by anybody,' he said.

Members of the Dalit Panthers of India (DPI) walked out of the legislature Thursday, protesting against the Indian government's silence over the air force bombing.

DPI member K. Selvam accused the central government of 'helping the Sri Lankan armed forces' and urged all political parties in Tamil Nadu to fly their party flags at half mast.

DPI leader Thol Thirumavalavan is on a one-day fast here Thursday condemning the Mullaitivu killings.

The parties in the opposition have vowed to take out peace marches every day for a whole of this week.

MDMK leader Vaiko has urged Manmohan Singh to send a delegation of MPs from India to assess the situation in Sri Lanka.

Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister Arcot N. Veerasamy warned: 'No political party in the state will accept the brutalities meted out to the Tamils by the island government.'

He, however, refused opposition demands to disclose the talks the chief minister had with National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan on Sri Lanka.

The minister argued that the content of their discussion last week 'could not be disclosed by the government as it concerned the security of the country and it was an official secret'.

Source: India eNews
Date: 17 August 2006