Chennai, April 17: The denial of permission to enter the country to slain LTTE chief Prabhakaran’s ailing mother, Parvathy Velupillai, after she landed at Chennai airport from Kuala Lumpur late Friday night has evoked strong protests from some political parties and Tamil groups, who slammed the authorities for what they termed an “inhuman act”.
Struck by paralysis and other ailments, 81-year-old Parvathy had arrived on a Malaysian Airlines flight along with an attendant for medical treatment in Chennai. Her daughter Vinodhini was due from Canada later to help her during the treatment and also to take her to Canada. However, the authorities did not allow Parvathy, who was on a stretcher, to disembark at Chennai and forced her to return by the same plane a couple of hours later.
MDMK general secretary Vaiko, who had gone to the airport along with Tamil Nationalist Movement leader Pazha Nedumaran to receive Parvathy, said the lady had come on a medical visa for six months. Terming the denial to land a “merciless act”, he said his party would observe a daylong protest fast on Thursday.
PMK founder S. Ramadoss warned that the Tamils would react angrily to the denial of entry to Parvathy, who had chosen to come to Chennai for medical help “believing that the 60 million Tamils are there to help her”. He said the DMK government in the state might not have had a role in the episode as the matter rested with the Central immigration authorities and they would not have acted without instructions from Delhi.
Dr Ramadoss said just as he had protested when the Centre decided to deport LTTE ideologue Anton Balasingham and Proteg founder S.C. Chandrahasan years ago, he would also urge the Union government now to permit Mrs Velupillai to arrive in Chennai for medical treatment.
Holding the denial of landing permission as “unjustifiable and inhuman”, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal leader Thol. Thirumavalavan said the old and ailing woman could not have been a security risk threatening peace in the state. She must be brought back for medical treatment, he urged.
“Nothing could be more inhuman than this act, which has brought shame to all of us Tamils,” declared Mr K. Veeramani, president of DK.
Age Correspondent