'India can't support the repression of the Lankan Tamils'

Like a familiar old ghost the war between Sri Lankan troops and the LTTE has returned to haunt India. It is a complicated tale of bloodshed, intrigue and most of all, irony. For, India has trained LTTE cadres, helped broker a peace for them, defended them, fought them and eventually lost a prime minister to them.

In 1984, INDIA TODAY (issue dated March 31) ran an expose detailing how the Tigers were being secretly trained in Indian camps, with the implicit approval of prime minister Indira Gandhi. Her reaction to the story was vitriolic. Her son Rajiv, also prime minister, then tried to broker peace by sending Indian troops to Sri Lanka in 1987.