Lok Sabha Debates
Regarding Apprehension Of Tamil Fishermen By Sri Lankan Navy. on 15 March, 2013
> Title: Regarding apprehension of Tamil fishermen by Sri Lankan Navy.
SHRI T.R. BAALU (SRIPERUMBUDUR): Madam Speaker, the excruciatingly painful story of atrocities committed against Sri Lankan Tamils has been discussed in this House elaborately on 7th March, 2013 in which all the political parties have participated. They have all condemned the atrocities and human rights violations committed by the Sri Lankan Administration.
Madam, yesterday, with your kind permission, we have discussed about the atrocities committed by the Sri Lankan Navy on the fishermen of Tamil Nadu and the Government has come forward to commit itself and said that all the fishermen who have been arrested will be released shortly. Today, the fishermen of Rameswaram have decided to go on strike. More than 53 fishermen have not yet been released and on that account they are going on strike.
On the issue of human rights violations, the students of Tamil Nadu have come out of the colleges. Lakhs and lakhs of students are resorting to various kinds of agitations, including fast-unto-death.
Madam Speaker, I think, now-a-days the voices of Tamils are not heard or considered properly by the Government of India, neither the voices of Sri Lankan Tamils nor the voices of Indian Tamils nor the voices of Diaspora world over. I feel sorry to say, Madam, that the Government is adopting a stoic silence on this human rights violation issue.
Madam, I am reminded of a couplet said by Great Saint Thiruvalluvar “Nagudhar Porutandru Nattal Migudhikan Merchendru Idithar Poruttu.” ‘Maintaining friendship is not merely for fun and frolic, but when there is an excess by a friend, he should be condemned, he should be corrected.’ I want to tell the same thing to my friends in the Government of India before anything goes wrong, kindly come forward, please be awake and do justice to Tamils of Sri Lanka.
Madam, UNHRC is in session. All the Party Leaders have pressed for a tangible resolution to be taken up in UNHRC. They should go with an amendment to the US Resolution asking for credible international multilateral investigation into the human rights violation. But nothing is happening here, the Government is not reacting to this.
The students’ agitation, day by day, has become very tense. I do not know what will happen. I can only remind my friends what happened in 1965 on the language issue. The agitation on language issue has cost the Congress to a very great extent. The Congress has lost its rule in Tamil Nadu in 1965 and till now they could not come to power in Tamil Nadu. So, I can only request my friends in the Government of India to prepare themselves for the UNHRC session, go before the UNHRC, campaign themselves and see that people who have committed crimes by violating human rights are punished.
MADAM SPEAKER: Please conclude now.
SHRI T.R. BAALU: Madam, I would like to quote Shakespeare, ‘Today is ides of March, 15th of March’. In Shakespeare the Almighty said, ‘Oh Caesar, beware of ides of March’. I can only quote that phrase and I can only warn my friends not to resort to silence, kindly go before the UNHRC to see that resolution is adopted and an international credible investigation agency is appointed so that the guilty should be punished before anything goes wrong by the students’ agitation.