Indian Foreign Secretary to reach out to Tamils in Sri Lanka

A senior Indian delegation led by Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao is scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka today on a three-day visit. The delegation will also include India's Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar.

During her visit, Rao is scheduled to visit the Tamil heartland of Jaffna in Northern Sri Lanka and meet the local government officials including the Governor of Northern Province Major General G.A. Chandrasiri, Mayor of Jaffna and civil leaders and academics.
The Indian delegation also will visit other cities in the conflict-affected region including Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, and Vavuniya in the North and Trincomalee in the East to observe the progress in the resettlement process of displaced Tamil civilians. She will also inspect the progress of projects funded by India.
Rao will also have a special dialogue with the major Tamil political party, Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Batticaloa district TNA parliamentarian P. Ariyanethram said.
Foreign Secretary's visit, amid pressures from the Tamil Nadu political power on the Central government of India to do more for the Sri Lankan Tamil community, is seen as an effort to reach the war-battered Tamils in the North and East.
Indian daily Hindustan Times says that India's hands-off stance during the final stages of the war is seen as a betrayal among the Tamil community in Sri Lanka as well as in Tamil Nadu. Rao's visit and soon-to-be-followed visit of Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna are an attempt to change that perception and send a message to the Sri Lanka Tamils that India will not abandon them.