President of India Pranab Mukherjee mentions Tamil minorities in Sri Lanka in his address to the Indian Parliament; India signs agreements with Sri Lanka to revive the first industrial zone at Atchchuvely; Myanmar has not responded to the Sri Lankan gover
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    • Addressing the Parliament, President of India, Pranab Mukherjee said on February 21, 2013 that India is making progress in its engagement with Sri Lanka to ensure "a life of peace, dignity and equality" for the Tamil minority in the island nation. 1

    Reports noted that the Indian government signed several agreements with Sri Lanka to revive the first industrial zone in the war-battered Northern Province at Atchchuvely in Jaffna on February 24, 2013. According to a release from the High Commission of India in Colombo, six contract documents were signed between High Commission of India, Colombo and four contractors at the premises of the Consulate General of India, Jaffna to fund the first Green Industrial Zone in the country. India will provide Rs. 200 million to fully fund the project to set up the industrial zone and it is expected to be completed by August 2013. 2

    According to reports, Sri Lanka's Immigration and Emigration Controller Chulananda Perera has said that the government of Myanmar has not responded to the Sri Lankan government's communication regarding the 32 Myanmar nationals who were recently rescued by Sri Lanka Navy when they were marooned in the sea off Sri Lanka's eastern coast. Sri Lanka government intended to deport them to Myanmar and informed the matter to Myanmar government via the country's Ambassador in Colombo. The Myanmar nationals, who belong to the minority Muslim Rohingya, say they do not want to return to the country. 3

    Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reportedly stressed that there would be no compromise on Colombo’s promise to implement the 13th Amendment of the Sri Lankan Constitution which provides more powers to Tamil areas in Sri Lanka’s Northern and Eastern provinces. Dr. Singh thus assured a delegation of Congress MPs from Tamil Nadu in Parliament House on February 22, 2013. 4

    According to reports, a statement issued by the Indian High Commission in Colombo on February 21, 2013 said the media reports on leaks having developed in critical equipment of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant are totally baseless and raising completely unwarranted fears of dangers of radiation leaks. 5

    The United States State Department said that the US was 'deeply concerned about allegations of violations with regard to humanitarian law and human rights' and reiterated it would introduce a resolution on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. 6

    The European Union has decided to support the US sponsored resolution against Sri Lanka at the forthcoming UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva. 7

    In other developments, according to reports, Sri Lankan Government rubbished the photographs displayed by Channel 4 television station of UK which is alleged to be of Prabhakaran’s youngest son Balachandran, shot at point blank by the Sri Lankan army. 8

    Britain has denied media reports that it sold more than £2m worth of small arms weaponry to Sri Lanka’s military last year. 9

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