New Delhi: With the killings of Tamil civilians continuing in Sri Lanka, India on Thursday underlined the need for "an immediate cessation of all hostilities" and announced that it will send two special emissaries to Colombo.
"We are very unhappy at the continued killing in Sri Lanka. All killing must stop. There must be an immediate cessation of all hostilities," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in a statement.
The strongly worded message from the Indian government came on a day the DMK-sponsored shutdown called by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi crippled normal life in the state.
"(The) government of India has been monitoring with deep concern and anxiety the evolving situation in Sri Lanka, in particular the conditions of the Tamil civilians in the conflict zones," he said.
"We understand that over 100,000 civilians have emerged from the no-fire zone into areas under government control in the past three days but the lives of several thousands of innocent civilians remain threatened," Mukherjee said.
"In order to convey these concerns to the government of Sri Lanka, the government of India has decided to send two special emissaries to Sri Lanka," he said.
India on Wednesday sent 40,000 family packs of food, clothes and toiletries for civilians who have emerged from the war zone. The relief materials are expected to reach Sri Lanka Saturday.
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