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Jayalalitha calls for deportation of Sri Lankan officers

The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, J Jayalalitha has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to expel two Sri Lankan military officers, who are currently training in Tamil Nadu.

Jayalalitha called on Singh to make a policy decision not to train any more Sri Lankan armed personnel until credible action is taken by the government to stop human rights violations against Tamils and illegal attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen. She also expressed surprise that the previous decision not to train Sri Lankans in Tamil Nadu was flouted.

"I strongly urge you to give suitable instructions to immediately discharge the two Sri Lankan officers from the training course at the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, and to send them back to Sri Lanka forthwith," she said in a letter to the prime minister.


"In addition, the Government of India should issue a clear policy directive not to provide training or to engage in any form of co-operation with the Sri Lankan Armed Forces until satisfactory and credible action is taken by the Government of Sri Lanka to completely stop the human rights violations against the Tamil population in Sri Lanka and to stop illegal attacks on fishermen belonging to Tamil Nadu,

"I am amazed that the union defence minister was unaware that his policy announcement was being flouted by his own ministry. This is a very sorry commentary on the Government of India's ambivalence and ad-hocism on a serious and emotive issue that affects the people of Tamil Nadu."

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