'Probe war crimes by Sri Lankan armed forces' demands CPI (M)

By a Special Correspondent | The Hindu
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The Communist Party of India (Marxist) will organise demonstrations in major cities of the State, demanding an enquiry into “war crimes” committed by the Sri Lankan armed forces in the final phase of the civil war.

In a statement, CPI (M) State secretary G. Ramakrishnan said the report of a United Nations committee has indicted the Sri Lankan armed forces for killing thousands of civilians in the armed struggle with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and of other human rights violations. The party's state executive committee has already passed a resolution seeking punishment against the war criminals.

The UN report has stated that over 40,000 civilians were killed in the last month of the battle and prisoners of war were shot dead at point blank range. The Sri Lankan government was responsible for the loss of lives of thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils and human rights violations, he said.

The party would hold demonstrations in the first week of May demanding a detailed enquiry into such human rights violations, punishment to war criminals, rehabilitation of those affected and provincial autonomy for the Tamils in the island nation, Mr. Ramakrishnan said.

BJP stir

The State unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged a demonstration in Chennai on Friday (29)demanding the arrest of war criminals in Sri Lanka.

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