India must support SL against LTTE: Cho Ramaswamy

FOR SRI LANKA: Supporting SL is in India's interest as well as the Sri Lankan Tamils' interest said Ramaswamy.

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On a day when the LTTE Spokesperson Nadesan made it clear that LTTE chief Prabhakaran is still in Sri Lanka and is fighting the government, the editor of a popular Tamil magazine Thuglak, Cho Ramaswamy sparked a political point after telling CNN-IBN that India should come out in support of Sri Lanka against the LTTE.

CNN-IBN: Should we intervene in Sri Lanka? Has the Centre bowed to pressure from the DMK? Is Pranab Mukherjee likely to ask for a ceasefire - as the DMK and Tamil political parties are asking for - in Sri Lanka?

Cho Ramaswamy: The earlier part of the question was right - Pranab Mukherjee is going there under pressure from the DMK to satisfy the political ally, but not to intervene in my opinion. It is not to intervene in the military action that is being taken there against the Tigers. India should not, in its own interest, ask the Sri Lankan government to stop the action in the middle and allow the Tigers to recoup and get strengthened again.

CNN-IBN: The DMK says it is asking for the ceasefire to help the lakhs of civilians trapped in those forests around Mulathivu right now. Is that not justified?

Cho Ramaswamy: They are not only wrong but there is also an element of dishonesty in what they say because it is not the Sri lankan military that is targeting the civilians there but it is the Tigers who are keeping the civilians as a shield. They are not allowing them to evacuate the plains and go to safer territories though the Sri Lankan military has been asking them to evacuate and marking safe territories for them. the Tigers are not allowing them to go because they are their shields.

CNN-IBN: How realistic then is the demand for Prabhakaran being handed over to India and be tried for Rajiv Gandhi's assassination? Mr Mukherjee was very ambivalent on that. Should India be going there and asking for his extradition if he is caught?

Cho Ramaswamy: If I was in office I would say yes to your question but still not do it. I would say yes we should have extradition, but still not do it, because considering practical matters and issues, bringing Prabhakaran here, putting him in prison and continuing the trial will all whip up passions in Tamil Nadu. So I would avoid it but still I would say for record purposes, 'yes, yes he must be extradited and tried here'. I would say it but not do it.

CNN-IBN: Should India do something positive in supporting the Sri Lanka government in their fight against the LTTE?

Cho Ramaswamy: Yes. We should support them though of course we cannot openly supply them with weaponry and all. We must everything that is possible within certain limits to help the Sri Lankan army to finish off the LTTE. The LTTE will survive as a pure and simple terrorist group but they must lose their military strength. It is in India's interest also and it is in the interest of the Sri Lankan Tamils also.