18 Mar : Brushing aside Opposition criticism that SLanka has compromised its sovereignty to India on the ethnic Tamils issue, Colombo has said New Delhi has played a major role in bringing terrorism under control in the island.
"India has played a major role with its help and support to bring terrorism in Sri Lanka under control," Sri Lankan Health Care and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva told Parliament on Tuesday."Some people are trying to say that we have compromised on sovereignty but India has played a major role in bringing down terrorism in our country," he said in an apparent reference to Opposition Marxist JVP.
The JVP, which always adopts anti-India stance, protested in Parliament the assistance being provided to internally-displaced persons (IDPs) in Pulamodai by an Indian medical team.
De Silva said the Government found difficulty in persuading its own doctors to treat the innocent civilians who flee from the war zone in northern Sri Lanka.
"But, India was kind enough to send a 52-member medical team to treat the Tamil civilians coming from Wanni," the Minister said.
He was responding to a question posed by JVP Parliamentary group leader Anura Dissanayake in this regard.