In response to a question on UNSG’s Panel of Experts report on Sri Lanka and the issue of Sri Lanka’s Tamil population, the Official Spokesperson said,

“Sri Lanka is home to a number of ethnic groups of which about twenty percent are Tamil speaking. They have friends and relatives in Tamil Nadu and other parts of India. It is but natural that we are concerned for their wellbeing, as well as that of all of the people of Sri Lanka with whom we enjoy historical ties of affinity.

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh observed recently that, “The Tamil population (in Sri Lanka) has legitimate grievances. --- And our emphasis has been to persuade the Sri Lankan government that we must move towards a new system of institutional reforms, where the Tamil people will have a feeling that they are equal citizens of Sri Lanka, and they can lead and live a life of dignity and self-respect. That is our outlook towards the issue”.

As far as the report of the UNSG’s panel of experts on Sri Lanka is concerned, we have heard the views of the Sri Lankan Government on various occasions, including during the visit of their Foreign Minister to New Delhi in May 2011 and again during the Troika meeting last month in Colombo.

In general, there are still questions on the report. Some countries have raised this in the UN Human Rights Council. It may be recalled that the Panel was set up by the UN Secretary General with the objective of advising him on the developments in Sri Lanka in the last stages of the conflict.”

New Delhi