Film Director Resigns his Post to Mobilise in Support of Sri Lankan Tamils

Chennai - A prominent film director from Tamil Nadu and leader of Latchiya Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party Vijaya T Rajendhar on Tuesday resigned from the vice-chairmanship of the Tamil Nadu Small Savings Advisory Committee in order to "mobilise support for Ealam Tamils on the Sri Lankan issue."

Rajendhar, an ally of the ruling DMK, told reporters that he had planned to criss-cross the state and raise voice in support of Sri Lankan Tamils.

As part of it, he was scheduled to address public meetings in Madurai and Chennai.

Prominent film director T. Rajendhar

"As my campaign may create problems in the alliance and cause embarrassment to Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, I have decided to quit the post," he said.

He also criticised the Central government of India for having failed to "warn" the Sri Lankan government despite the "continuous attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy."

Rajendhar said he had sent the resignation letter to Karunanidhi,explaining the reason behind his decision to quit the post.

The Indo-Sri Lanka Agreement signed in 1987 came to a natural end in the long, visionless Sri Lankan politics towards the Tamil minorities in Lanka. The legitimate struggle of Tamils in Sri Lanka is exactly 60 years old, but the Sri Lankan government has now manipulated the 'Global War on Terror' to its own advantage and is branding the legitimate struggle of Tamils as terrorism in the International arena, while continuing with its dire human rights abuses against them with no end in sight for the bloody and cruel sufferings of Tamils, an observer told TNS in Chennai.

Sri Lanka fast sliding beyond crisis level as the rights violation of civilians especially Tamil civilians worsening, military operations against them continuing and worst forms of violence are taking place against Tamil civilians with impunity with no end in sight, he added.

60 years of oppression and suppression of Tamils forced almost a million Tamil people to flee Sri Lanka and lives as diasporas in Canada, America, Australia, Europe, India and many other countries in the world while another half a million Tamil people live in temporary shelters with limited or no access to food and medicines in Sri Lanka due to on going military operations in Sri Lanka, he noted.