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Vaiko wants Prabhakaran
extradition notice withdrawn

The National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) Tamil partners - MDMK and PMK - are exerting pressure on the government to withdraw a notice sent to the Sri Lanka Government for extradition of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam supremo Prabhakaran for investigations in the conspiracy that led to the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991.

The notice is of little value, like a similar notice in 1995, since the Sri Lanka Government is in no position to nab Prabhakaran, hiding in the northern forests of the country.

The MDMK and PMK took offence to the Multi-Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA) asking the Lankan authorities to extradite him.

MDMK chief Vaiko is believed to have lodged a protest with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Tuesday, over Union Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani's remarks in the Rajya Sabha that the MDMA, inquiring into the assassination conspiracy, had sought the extradition of Prabhakaran. An MDMA team had gone to Sri Lanka last month, in the course of investigations to unearth a conspiracy that remains a mystery to date.

Vaiko also reportedly protested against the deportation of M K Elavendhan, a close associate of Prabhakaran, from Madras to Colombo two days back for not having a valid visa. He expressed fear that Elavendhan would be killed either by the Lankan forces or anti-LTTE groups. He secured an assurance from Vajpayee that Elavendhan's family will not be deported from Madras.

The prime minister is believed to have spoken to Union External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh over the telephone, in the presence of Vaiko, asking him to direct the Foreign Office to tell the Sri Lankan high commissioner to provide protection to Elavendhan. Vajpayee also wanted the Indian high commissioner in Colombo to urge the Sri Lanka foreign office to protect his life.

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