Karuna asks Centre to snap ties with Lanka if it ignores plea

(April 18, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) Raising the pitch on Sri Lankan Tamils issue, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Friday (April 17) asked the UPA government to snap all diplomatic relations with the island nation if it did not honour India's latest appeal for a ceasefire in the embattled northern parts.

Stepping up pressure on the Centre, the DMK President sent a telegram to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee who made the appeal to the Mahinda Rajapaksa government to respond to the Tamil civilian problem.

Karunanidhi said he welcomed Mukherjee's statement but asked the Centre to snap all ties if the appeal was not accepted.

"We welcome with gratitude the appeal made by the External Affairs Minister for ceasefire in Sri Lanka. If the appeal for ceasefire is not honoured and implemented by the Sri Lanka government, we request the government of India to snap all diplomatic relations with Sri Lanka," he said in the telegram.

-Sri Lanka Guardian