Narayanasamy defends decision to vote in favour of UN resolution against Sri Lanka

New Delhi, Mar 22 (ANI): Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office, V. Narayanasamy, on Thursday defended India's decision to vote in favour of the UN resolution against Sri Lanka, saying New Delhi has raised its voice when there is a violation of human rights in any country.

"When there is violation of human rights in any country, India was raising its voice. Now today you find that the violation of human rights has been clearly spelt out by the committee, which went and investigated and the committee, which has been constituted by the Sri Lankan Government the LLRC-the Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission-that also gave a finding that the Sri Lankan government is bound to implement that," said Narayanasamy.

He said that the purpose of the resolution, which has been brought before the United Nations by the Human Rights Commission is to make Sri Lanka to fulfill those obligations.

Meanwhile, Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi said the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, had made it very clear in Parliament on the Sri Lanka issue.

Vylar Ravi said that the government of India is very much concerned about the security and safety of the Tamil population in Sri Lanka.

The Government of India was surprised and shocked at what happened during the war. The atrocities attributed to the Sri Lankan army created so much of emotion not only in Tamil Nadu, but throughout India and other parts of the world also, said Ravi.

He pointed out that India stands by the resolution moved by the human rights activists.

"The Prime Minister had made it very clear that we would vote for the resolution," he added.

India was among 24 countries that voted against Sri Lanka today at a session of the United Nation Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The top UN human rights body had passed a resolution, sponsored by the US that Sri Lanka must properly investigate the alleged war crimes during its 26-year conflict with the rebel Tamil Tigers.

Fifteen countries, including China and Russia backed Sri Lanka, which had rejected the resolution, which it described as ' an unwarranted interference in the country's domestic affairs'.

The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, had said in Parliament earlier this week that India 'is inclined to vote in favour of the resolution'.

There was apprehension that if India did not vote against Sri Lanka, the government's key ally, the DMK, may pull out of the government. (ANI)