Every Tamilian ought to point out how appalling this is:

The hanging of the three men sentenced to death for conspiring to assassinate former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was stayed for eight weeks by the Madras High Court on Tuesday, coinciding with the Tamil Nadu assembly passing a resolution asking President Pratibha Patil to review the mercy petitions.

The Tamil Nadu assembly also moved a resolution asking the president to review her decision on the mercy plea and commute the death sentence to life imprisonment.

If this were based on a pro-life argument, it would be worthy of debate. But this is at best vote-bank politics and at worst, a misplaced sense of identity.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that political clowns in Tamil Nadu have done more to undermine than help the genuine causes of many innocent Sri Lankan Tamils. Those stories sadly remain hidden under the louder talking points. In fact, how these stories come out is fascinating in itself — the way reporters and human rights’ watchdogs access devastated villages, gather stories and at times report under a pseudonym to escape the government eye.

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