MDMK chief Vaiko
Vaiko arrested for comments in support of LTTE
Thu-Oct 23, 2008
Chennai / Agencies
MDMK chief Vaiko was arrested at Chennai on Thursday on the charge of supporting the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and fomenting secessionism, police said.
He was charged under sections of the IPC and Unlawful Prevention Act and remanded in 14 days of judicial custody. Vaiko was later taken to the central prison in Chennai.
MDMK presidium chairman and former Union minister M Kannappan was also arrested under the same sections at his native village in Negamam in Coimbatore district, police said.
The MLA will be produced before a magistrate in Chennai. Vaiko was arrested in 2002 under POTA by the then Jayalalithaa government for his speech at a MDMK meeting supporting the LTTE. He was in the high security Vellore prison for 17 months.
Vaiko, who had even made a clandestine visit to LTTE- held areas in 1998, was vocal in his support for the cause of a separate homeland for Sri Lankan Tamils.
At a public meeting in Chennai on Tuesday, Vaiko said he would not hesitate to lead an armed struggle for the cause of Sri Lankan Tamils and a separate homeland was the only solution to the ethnic strife in the island republic.
He came down heavily on the UPA government for what he termed "supply of arms and ammunition and logistical support to the Sri Lankan government to wage a war against Tamils".
Taking to reporters soon after his arrest, he said the UPA government had "betrayed" the Sri Lankan Tamils. The AIADMK and the Congress had been demanding arrest of those supporting the LTTE in Tamil Nadu.
He was charged under sections of the IPC and Unlawful Prevention Act and remanded in 14 days of judicial custody. Vaiko was later taken to the central prison in Chennai.
MDMK presidium chairman and former Union minister M Kannappan was also arrested under the same sections at his native village in Negamam in Coimbatore district, police said.
The MLA will be produced before a magistrate in Chennai. Vaiko was arrested in 2002 under POTA by the then Jayalalithaa government for his speech at a MDMK meeting supporting the LTTE. He was in the high security Vellore prison for 17 months.
Vaiko, who had even made a clandestine visit to LTTE- held areas in 1998, was vocal in his support for the cause of a separate homeland for Sri Lankan Tamils.
At a public meeting in Chennai on Tuesday, Vaiko said he would not hesitate to lead an armed struggle for the cause of Sri Lankan Tamils and a separate homeland was the only solution to the ethnic strife in the island republic.
He came down heavily on the UPA government for what he termed "supply of arms and ammunition and logistical support to the Sri Lankan government to wage a war against Tamils".
Taking to reporters soon after his arrest, he said the UPA government had "betrayed" the Sri Lankan Tamils. The AIADMK and the Congress had been demanding arrest of those supporting the LTTE in Tamil Nadu.
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Comments For This Post
Vaiko or any Dravidian party can't go any further in their support for LTTE.Sri Lanka is a sovereign nation and a friendly neighbour.What if Pakistanis start agitating and courting arrests for Kashmir? How would we react if our ambassador in Pakistan was called and " told" to do something for Kashmiris?
LTTE is responsible for killing of our country's Prime Minister.It is very tragic of our PM and Foreign Minister to make the type of noises they are making on Sri Lankan problem.Both belong to Congress, which is now headed by Mr Rajiv Gandhi's widow.Dravidian parties too have started making noises only NOW when elections are round the corner.We can't take our electoral politics beyond the shores of our country.The promised electoral harvest in TN too looks doubtful.People can't be fooled all the time.
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