Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) General Secretary Vaiko has strongly condemned the recent defence cooperation agreement signed between India and Sri Lanka during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Colombo.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Vaiko criticised the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that was signed between the two countries as part of a broader package of agreements reached during Modi’s official visit to the island.
Modi met with Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake and presided over the signing of several MoUs, including a five-year defence cooperation agreement that formalises and expands military collaboration between New Delhi and Colombo.
Vaiko denounced the move, citing the Sri Lankan military’s role in the massacre of Tamil civilians.
“It was the Sri Lankan defence forces that massacred over 1.37 lakh Sri Lankan Tamils and sexually assaulted thousands of women. It also suppressed the liberation movement by brutally killing several persons,” he said.
“At a time when the Tamil community wanted to bring the Sri Lankan Army before the International Court of Justice in Hague to investigate the genocide, the defence agreement between India and Sri Lanka is highly condemnable,” he added.
During the visit, Modi and Dissanayake also discussed energy cooperation, regional connectivity, and development projects in the Tamil-majority North-East
The Sri Lankan government has continued to reject international calls for accountability, despite repeated resolutions at the UN Human Rights Council and growing momentum for targeted sanctions. Despite repeated calls for accountability from Tamil families of the disappeared, survivors, international organisations, and diaspora groups, successive Sri Lankan governments have failed to deliver justice.
Tamil Nadu-based leaders, including Vaiko, have long raised concerns over India’s engagement with the Sri Lankan military.
