Ficci's Tamil Nadu wing asks parent organisation to cancel trip to Sri Lanka

The Tamil Nadu State Council of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) on Monday asked its headquarters to immediately cancel its forthcoming delegation to Sri Lanka.

A Ficci delegation comprising six Members of Parliament (MPs) is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka from April 8-12. The delegation, aimed at creating a better political interaction between the elected members of both countries, is to meet senior ministers as well as political leaders in Sri Lanka.

In a press release, the state council said that it has asked the parent body to immediately cancel the proposed visit “keeping in view the sensitivities of the people of Tamil Nadu and in full support of the aspirations of Sri Lankan Tamils”. Jayanthi Natarajan, minister for environment and forests, has also asked Ficci to cancel the delegation to Sri Lanka on similar grounds.

In Tamil Nadu, politicians cutting across parties, various student unions, the film fraternity, and trade unions have been urging the Centre to take steps to condemn the Sri Lankan government on its alleged human rights violations and war crimes against Sri Lankan Tamils.

Union Shipping Minister G K Vasan, a senior Congress leader from the state, too, recently demanded steps should be taken to shift the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) slated to be held in Colombo in November 2013.

The Tamil film industry recently conducted a day-long fast demanding an international probe into the alleged war crimes and rehabilitation of Sri Lankan Tamils.