No Sri Lankan Air Force personnel undergoing training in TN: Govt

New Delhi: Government had allowed Sri Lankan Air Force personnel to undergo training in Tamil Nadu, but at present none of them are being trained in the state, government told the Rajya Sabha today.

In a written reply to a question, Defence Minister A K Antony said, "At present no personnel of the Sri Lankan Air Force is undergoing training in Tamil Nadu."

The Minister replied in the affirmative on whether government had allowed Sri Lankan Air Force personnel to undergo training in Tamil Nadu.

The training of the Lankan personnel by India came in the line of fire from political parties in Tamil Nadu over the issues of ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka.

The Defence Minister further informed the House that, "The views expressed by various (political) parties have been considered by the government keeping in view all aspects of national interest."

Following the protest from various political parties, the under-training Lankan personnel were shifted to Bangalore.

Around 15 Sri Lankan trainees were undergoing various courses at the two airmen training institutions in Tambaram in Tamil Nadu when the controversy broke off.

One of the two training centres there imparts training to airmen for carrying out repair and maintenance of military vehicles.