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Sri Lanka - LTTE hostilities may end up in war
War of words between Sri Lanka govt and LTTE may soon lead to conflict.
BY OUR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
November 28, 2006
The continuing hostilities in Sri Lanka are feared to grow into a full fledged ethnic war. India’s Foreign
Secretary Shivshankar Menon’s trip to Colombo on Thursday may be seen as an exercise to ward off such
fears.
Significantly, Menon’s trip comes just ahead of a visit by Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse to India.
With the gun battle raging, India has sought an end to hostilities and also called for a time-bound
commitment from Colombo outlining a definite 'road map' towards a federal structure in Sri Lanka. India
visits by many a Sri Lankan had happened over the past one year and their mission was to study various
aspects of the Indian federal system.
Meanwhile, Shivsankar Menon returned to India on Friday after a meeting with Rajapakse and other senior
leaders and officials, to all of whom he conveyed India's concern at escalating hostilities.
Reports from Colombo say that number of refugees is on the rise, with one survey speaking of almost
15,000 refugees landing in Tamil Nadu so far this year. This is seen as posing a security problem for the
Indian government.
The Centre needs to seriously take notice of what's happening in Sri Lanka before the inflow of refugees
turns unmanageable, feel experts. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had already urged Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh to directly intervene in Sri Lanka to prevent a humanitarian crisis.
In the meantime, the Norwegians, mediating in the crisis between the Lankan government and the
LTTE, has kept India informed at every stage and also urged it to be more directly involved.
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