Lanka, India in talks

1 August 2010 08:30 am

India’s Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said today that India was in talks with the Sri Lankan government on the reported attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen allegedly by the Lankan navy.

Chidambaram disclosed this to reporters in New Delhi today after calling on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi to apprise him of the steps taken by India to mitigate the sufferings of the Sri Lankan Tamils, the PTI reported.

Further speaking to reporters Chidambaram said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had last week conveyed to Karunanidhi that a senior official of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs would be deputed to Sri Lanka to assess the progress of restoration of normal life in the Tamil dominated northern and eastern parts of the island after the end of the war against LTTE.

The Prime Minister's initiative came in response to suggestions made by Karunanidhi to resolve the ethnic issue.

Chidambaram added that the special envoy who will visit Sri Lanka in a few days will also discuss with the Lankan government the issue of resettlement of the internally displaced Tamils in the island nation.