Chennai: MDMK general secretary Vaiko on Saturday urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to ensure the immediate removal of Sri Lankan naval vessels from Katchatheevu island. In a letter to Singh, Vaiko said there were reports that Chinese vessels and Chinese navy personnel in Sri Lankan vessels had been spotted in the Palk Strait that divides India and Sri Lanka.
This, he said, "poses an impending challenge to the sovereign rights of India".
Terming the stationing of Sri Lankan battleships near Katchatheevu a trial balloon, Vaiko said: "The government should take up this serious issue with the Sri Lankan government and take appropriate steps so that the Sri Lankan naval vessels (are) withdrawn immediately."
Political parties in Tamil Nadu have been pressing the Indian government to cancel a 1974 agreement under which New Delhi ceded the island to Colombo....
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03:25 AM, Jun 02, 2013
Chennai: A day-long general strike demanding permanent closure of the copper smelter plant of Sterlite Industries (India) Ltd will be held on Monday at Tuticorin, said MDMK party general secretary Vaiko on Saturday. The company is part of Britain-based Vedanta Resources Group. In a statement issued here, MDMK founder Vaiko said the anti-Sterlite movement has called for a one-day general strike demanding the permanent closure of the copper smelter plant...
01:25 PM, Apr 06, 2013
The MDMK on Tuesday said it would challenge the Supreme Court's order asking Sterlite Industries, a subsidiary of UK-based Vedanta Group to pay Rs 100 crore as compensation for polluting the environment and vowed to continue its fight against restarting of operations. ...
04:49 PM, Apr 02, 2013
MDMK chief Vaiko courted arrest at Parliament Street police station in the capital on Friday along with 60 -70 supporters while protesting against Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's visit to India. Vaiko was arrested while leading the MDMK protest march from Parliament Street to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's residence. ...
12:17 PM, Feb 08, 2013
After boycotting the 2011 Tamil Nadu Assembly polls and a token contest in the Sankarankoil (SC) bypoll later, MDMK has decided to contest the Lok Sabha elections scheduled in 2014. "We have decided to contest in the general elections. We cannot say anything further," party chief Vaiko said, announcing the party's decision here. ...
02:44 PM, Jan 01, 2013
Neyveli: MDMK leader Vaiko was arrested in Neyveli on Friday when he along with his party workers tried to picket the Neyveli Lignite Corporation office, demanding the public sector unit stop power supply to Karnataka, which has stopped release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. Police said Vaiko and about 1000 party workers took out a procession and were arrested while on their way to the NLC office. Speaking to...
03:12 PM, Oct 12, 2012
New Delhi: MDMK chief Vaiko and 700 of his party supporters were arrested in Chhindwara near Sanchi on Friday as they tried to enter the city to hold their protest against visiting Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa who is scheduled to inaugurate a Buddhist University there. Vaiko had planned a black flag protest against Rajapaksa in Sanchi. However, the Madhya Pradesh police stopped them from entering the city on Thursday...
12:20 PM, Sep 21, 2012
New Delhi: MDMK General Secretary Vaiko was on Thursday night stopped by the Madhya Pradesh police from entering into Sanchi where the Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapaksa is scheduled to inaugurate a Buddhist University on Friday. Vaiko had called for a black flag demonstration in Sanchi against Rajapaksa for the alleged violation of rights of ethnic Tamils in the country during its war against the Liberation Tigers of Talim Eelam...
08:34 AM, Sep 21, 2012
New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh has tightened security across the state ahead of the visit by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa who will be inaugurating a Buddist University in Sanchi. The MDMK of Tamil Nadu had announced a protest in the state against his visit. MDMK General Secretary Vaiko had called for a black flag demonstration against the Sri Lankan President for the alleged violation of rights of the ethnic Tamilians...
07:50 AM, Sep 21, 2012
New Delhi: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is being hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over dinner on Thursday night. He is also expected to meet President Pranab Mukherjee later. Rajapaksa is expected to raise the issue of recent attacks on Sri Lankans in Tamil Nadu when he meets the Prime Minister, while India may press for Tamil rights and the reconciliation process. The Prime Minister is expected to call...
04:57 PM, Sep 20, 2012
Bhopal: Nearly half a dozen MDMK supporters opposing the scheduled visit of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to Madhya Pradesh were detained at Salamatpur near Sanchi in as a precautionary measure after police got suspicious about their movement, police said on Thursday. Rajapaksa will be reaching Sanchi on Friday via Bhopal to lay the foundation stone for the International Sanchi Buddhist University and Indic Studies. We picked up five-six persons...
01:13 PM, Sep 20, 2012
New Delhi: Rejecting Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's appeal, MDMK leader Vaiko on Monday evening left for Sanchi where Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse is expected to arrive for a visit. Vaiko, a strong critic of Rajapakse, has held him responsible for the killing of civilian Tamils in the war against LTTE in 2009. Vaiko was accompanied by around 1000 supporters, who will hold a blackflag protest against...
11:53 AM, Sep 18, 2012
Chennai: Rejecting Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's appeal, MDMK leader Vaiko will go ahead with his planned black flag demonstration against Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse during his proposed visit to Sanchi in that state. Vaiko, a strong critic of Rajapakse, holding him responsible for the killing of civilian Tamils in the war against LTTE in 2009, will leave for Sanchi on Monday afternoon, an MDMK spokesperson said....
01:50 PM, Sep 17, 2012
New Delhi: MDMK Chief Vaiko has threatened to lead a rally of 1000 Tamils against Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse if he is invited to Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh. He has written a letter to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, asking him to not hurt Tamil sentiments under pressure from senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj. The MDMK chief also said that he along with party-workers will hold black flag demonstration. In...
11:00 AM, Sep 05, 2012
Chennai: Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) chief Vaiko on Friday staged a day-long fast at the party headquarters here as part of the relay fast launched by his party on August 27 in support of Senthooran, an inmate of the special refugee camp in Poonamallee. Senthooran has been on an indefinite fast demanding the release of refugees in the special camps at Chengalpet and Poonamallee. In his address, Vaiko said,...
12:01 PM, Sep 01, 2012
CHENNAI: Toeing the line of the CPI and DMK, the MDMK too has decided not to contest the Pudukottai bypoll. In a release, party general secretary Vaiko recalled that AIADMK chose to boycott the byelection to five Assembly seats, citing unfair practices, including misuse of official machinery and bribing of voters, by the then ruling DMK during the bypoll to the Tirumangalam constituency. He charged that both the arch-rivals, DMK...
10:18 AM, May 09, 2012
Chennai: Around 500 people including MDMK chief Vaiko have been arrested after police stopped them from marching towards Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant. Second 144 has been imposed in and around the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant site. The renewed protests against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant enter the fifth day on Friday. The arrests come amidst the continuous crackdown on protestors by the Jayalalithaa government in Tamil Nadu. The crackdown began...
02:39 PM, Mar 23, 2012
Chennai: MDMK leader Vaiko demanded on Monday that India boycott the London Olympics if the organisers did not cancel the sponsorship contract with Dow Chemicals, which has links to Union Carbide - the company responsible for the Bhopal gas disaster in 1984. "To save the honour of the Indian democracy and to respect the sad sentiments of the affected people of Bhopal (gas tragedy), the government should send a strongly-worded...
06:16 PM, Jan 30, 2012
Idukki: KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala will stage a fast in front of the Martyrs Column in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday, as part of a state-wide UDF campaign for a permanent solution to the Mullaperiyar dam issue. The ruling LDF will be organising a human wall from Mullaperiyar in Idukki district to Kochi. The human wall will take shape at around 4 pm and will pass through Idukki, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts...
07:20 AM, Dec 08, 2011
Chennai: Protesting against Kerala's stand to construct a new dam in place of Mullaperiyar, MDMK leader Vaiko will stage a day-long fast at Theni district on Thursday. Vaiko will stage the fast protesting Kerala's "injustice" in trying to build a dam in place of the existing structure, 'which is the livelihood of South Tamil Nadu," a press release from the MDMK headquarters said. He will also undertake a campaign from...
01:34 PM, Dec 07, 2011
