India should boycott Commonwealth meet in Colombo: Tamil Eelam Supporters Organisation

CHENNAI: DMK chief M Karunanidhi-led Tamil Eelam Supporters Organisation ( TESO) today resolved to stage a state-wide demonstration on August 8, pressing the Centre to boycott a Commonwealth meeting slated to be held in Colombo in coming November, among other demands.

A resolution adopted at the meeting of the organisation, revived by Karunanidhi last year, insisted that India boycott the Commonwealth Head of Governments Meeting (CHOGM) in view of the alleged war crimes against Tamils in Sri Lanka in 2009.

It also insisted that India should take the responsibility in ensuring that the Sri Lankan government did not dilute the 13th Amendment on devolution of powers, which was part of the 1987 Rajiv Gandhi-Jayawardhane accord.

Another resolution wanted the Central Government to protect the livelihood of Tamil fishermen, facing continuing "attacks" and arrests by Sri Lankan Navy.

Besides Karunanidhi, VCK founder Thol Thirumavalavan, K Veeramani, Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan, M K Stalin, T K S Elangovan and Suba Veerapandian participated in the TESO meeting held at the headquarters of DMK, which had pulled out of the UPA in March last over the Sri Lankan Tamils issue.