Drugs biggest villain for Tamil youth: Lankan MP

When asked about the ban against LTTE being lifted by several nations and possible resurgence of the outfit in Sri Lanka, he replied that present conditions do not favour the rise of LTTE as people are living in close association with government and Sinhalese. Also, the Lankan government is doing a lot for the welfare of Tamil people. “The government has realised that the Tamil community should also be encouraged for the overall progress of the country,” he added.

To a query why Sri Lankan refugees in Tamil Nadu are reluctant to go back, he replied that they are still thinking about the war times. Now, conditions have changed drastically and Tamils are living peacefully. So, why should they not take the effort to return? Asked Yogeswaran.

He also explained that the representation of Tamil community in Sri Lanka is gradually decreasing and he wanted them to come back. He assured them that temporary arrangements such as houses and land would be arranged for them when they returned.

Asked about the positive effects of the protests of Tamil Nadu politicians in the lives of Sri Lankan people, he replied that except for a few like the former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, nobody has made a positive impact there. Most of the politicians are exaggerating the current situation in Sri Lanka which people back at Lanka know that they are not true and so their protests are not taken seriously.

He also rued that some of the politicians bring trouble to Tamil people in Sri Lanka. When some leaders proclaim that the slain LTTE leader V Prabhakaran is alive, intelligence sources in Sri Lanka torture Tamil people. Yogeswaran felt that it would do more good to Tamils there if politicians stop spreading false claims.

He pointed out that Tamil youth, who are coming out of impact of war, are plagued by rampant smuggling of drugs. Around 400 million of Sri Lankan rupee goes out for drugs from each district in Tamil dominated provinces every year. The drugs are circulated by former government agents who worked under the reign of former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Tamil youths are targeted to prevent another resurgence, alleged Yogeswaran.