DMK president M. Karunanidhi on Tuesday urged the Centre to annul the agreement with Sri Lanka for naval cooperation to control piracy and terrorists in the Indian Ocean.

Reacting to the report in The Hindu, ‘Despite strains, India, Sri Lanka deepen naval ties,’ he accused the Centre of showing scant regard for the welfare of Sri Lankan Tamils and the voice of Tamils in Tamil Nadu. “There is an impression among the people of Tamil Nadu that the Indian government always goes the extra mile to promote its ties with Sri Lanka at the cost of Tamils.”

Mr. Karunanidhi said the government should realise that Tamils were also Indian citizens and should respect their sentiments.

He said there seemed to be no end to the attacks on Tamil fishermen by the Sri Lankan army, and the problems of Tamil refugees. “Though India has agreed to help the Sri Lankan Tamils, we suspect that India, keen on retaining its impartiality on the international forum, is not paying due attention to certain issues,” he said. (Source: The Hindu)