Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi has once again raised the issue of ceasefire between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). While speaking at a conference in Coimbatore on November 16, the DMK chief alleged that the bullets, otherwise meant to kill the terrorists in northern Sri Lanka, are killing the innocent Tamil minority. He strongly demanded for an immediate and total ceasefire between the government and LTTE.

The issue of ceasefire is one of the major concerns, the DMK has been reiterating since its induction into the United Progressive Alliance. On being asked whether he was satisfied with the efforts of the UPA government at the Centre to ensure protection of innocent Tamils in Sri Lanka, the Chief Minister said that he would not be satisfied until and unless a ceasefire is in place.

It was not only the DMK that came out to protest the violence in Sri Lanka, Tamil movie icon Vijay and Communist Party of India state secretary D. Pandian also raised similar concerns. The film-star even spearheaded a day-long hunger-strike on Sunday, held in over 35 centres across the state.
According to Pandian, there will be an all-party meeting, to be held on Monday (November 17), to discuss the matter and next course of action would be taken only after that.