Karuna charges Lankan Army with running 'state of emergency'

He also said a long-term solution to the Tamils issue has to be a political one.

The plight of Sri Lankan Tamils was linked with human rights and dignity, which required short-term, medium-term and long-term solutions, Karunanidhi told a conclave ahead of the pro-Eelam international TESO meet called by him.

The DMK patriarch's remarks came prior to the Madras High Court permitting the TESO conference at the YMCA grounds here bringing last minute relief to Karunanidhi who is trying to resuscitate the organisation founded by him in the wake of murderous attacks on minority Tamils in Sri Lanka in 1980s.

Eelam signifies the separate nationhood concept from Sri Lanka, the core of armed struggle by the now decimated LTTE, which is not in line with India's stand on the issue.

A last minute refusal to permit the meet by police had put a question mark over the meet forcing TESO to approach the High Court, where a single judge had yesterday declined to hear its plea after which the matter was placed before a division bench, which held a special sitting this afternoon.

"The nations of the world are very much worried over the pre- and post-war developments in Sri Lanka. The problem with Eelam Tamils is a problem linked with humanitarianism, human rights and dignity of human beings," he told a conclave of the 'Eelam Tamil Livelihood Rights Protection Conference.'

"It may be painful to note that the Sri Lankan military runs a state of Emergency in Tamil areas. It is also distressing that intimidation in the routine life of Tamils has increased after the recent (US-backed) resolution in Geneva (in the UN Human Rights Council) asking Colombo to promote post-war reconciliation," he said. MORE