Karuna gets SL crisis home, calls for bandh

Chennai/New Delhi: As Sri Lankan troops gear up to launch a "final assault" against the rebel LTTE, politicians in Tamil Nadu are making the most out of the situation, trying score political points.

Mounting pressure on the UPA government, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief M Karunanidhi has called for a 12-hour strike in the state on Thursday to protest the violence in the island country.

Asking the Centre to give an ultimatum to Colombo to declare an "immediate and permanent ceasefire", Karunanidhi said the priority was not to ban the LTTE but to save the lives of thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils.

Karunanidhi, a key ally of Congress, said the strike was not only to demand that the Centre take measures for a permanent ceasefire but also to sympathise with the plight of Tamils in that country.

Karunanidhi's strike call came hours after he sent telegrams to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee pressing India issues an ultimatum to Sri Lankan government for an immediate and permanent ceasefire to "save" lakhs of Tamils.

Late on Tuesday night, the DMK chief also issued a "final appeal", urging all Tamils, irrespective of their political affiliations, to join the 12-hour strike.

Earlier AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa and PMK chief S Ramadoss had urged Karunanidhi to pressure the Centre to take a strong stand on LTTE issue.

SRIL LANKA EXODUS CONTINUES

Meanwhile, mass exodus of civilians continues in Sri Lanka's north. According to government reports, nearly 63,000 civilians have escaped from the areas held by LTTE rebels in the last two days.

Rebel leader Prabhakaran was suspected to be hiding among the civilians along the 8-km coastal strip.

But so far, the Government forces have been unable to trace him.

The Sri Lanka military on Sunday warned of more operations to flush out militants, making it a suicide or surrender for Prabhakaran. Sri Lankan Defence secretary Gothbaya Rajapakse told CNN-IBN that the first priority was to ensure civilian safety.