Keep TN in loop on Lanka VIP visits, Jaya to PM

CHENNAI: Taking exception to the frequent visits of Sri Lankan dignitaries to Tamil Nadu without prior information, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday urged the Centre to discourage such frequent visits to Tamil Nadu and allow them only after consulting the State government in future.The CM, in a letter to PM Manmohan Singh, pointed out that uninformed visits by Lankan dignitaries caused difficulties to the State government in ensuring security for them.Observing that the people of Tamil Nadu were greatly worked up over the conduct of the Lankan government while dealing with Lankan Tamils and their rights, she said the local perception was that Sri Lanka had failed to ensure the Tamils’ rights to live with dignity, self-respect and equal constitutional status with the Sinhalese.Indicating that the Lankan government’s failure to ensure the rights of Tamils had caused worry among the people of Tamil Nadu, she referred to an incident in Rameswaram. The State was unable to take any precautionary measure when Thirukumaran Nadesan, brother-in-law of the Sri Lankan President, visited the town on January 9 and 10. She said there was an attempt to attack him and, since there was no information either from Sri Lanka or the Centre on his visit, no precautionary measures could be taken.The CM also took exception to the tone of the letter sent to the Chief Secretary of TN by the Deputy High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in southern India and the letter from the Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs.  She said the difficulties faced by the State due to the frequent visits of Lankan officials, army officers and VIPs without prior information were already brought to the notice of the Ministries of External and Home Affairs by the State government’s letters dated Setpember 16, 2011 and February 24, 2012.