posted August 05, 2000 07:06 PM            

Sandalwood smuggler urged Karnataka to accept ten conditions

[Chennai, August 05/2000]

Mr. Veerappan is well known as a sandalwood smuggler in the Tamil Nadu and the Karnataka borders. He kidnapped a Kannada cinema actor and others last weekend in Karnataka. Sources said that both the Governments had been coordinating with each other to free the hostages despite the Veerappan conditions send to the Premiers with the ten demands.

Veerappan has urged Karnataka Government to compensate the Tamil people in Karnataka during the riot. The riot raged due to an order by a court to free Chauvery waters to Tamil Nadu in 1991.

However, the Karnataka Government had rejected the order following the opposition from the public and the opposition parties. The Court order had made thousands of Tamils to flee the province and claiming the lives of thousands while Kannada activists destroyed the properties of the Tamils with the blessings of many organizations and political parties.

He had also asked Karnataka to allocate a space for building a statue of the great poet, Thiruvalluvar in Karnataka. The Government and the political parties with support of Kannada people opposed the attempt to build the statue several months ago. This attempt had been taken up by local Tamil organizations to dedicate to the great man, who had lived in the world before the birth of Christ.

Tamilian, Mr. Veerappan has now sent one cassette to the Karnataka Government and one other to the Tamil Nadu Government. The Cassettes strongly urged Karnataka to accept the offer, in order to free the hostages who are now being held in a secret place under the high security of the Veerappan gang.

Tamil Journalist, Mr. Gopal, had already discussed the latest crisis with Mr. Veerappan. He had met the sandalwood smuggler two times on two occasions, in an interview for his novel 'Nakkeeran' Tamil magazine.

An agent of Gopal had last night handed over the cassettes to a journalist in Coimbatore, shortly after meeting with Veerappan. These cassettes were sent promptly to the both Governments urging them to accept both crucial demands. Kannada activists had already opposed the demands despite the actor along with other three persons being captives of the Tamilian Veerappan.

Meanwhile, Premier of Karnataka is scheduled to arrive in Chennai tomorrow to hold discussion with the premier of Tamil Nadu, Mr. Karunanidhi regarding the crucial condition. This would erode Karnataka Government politics, while the Tamil Nadu ruling party would profit in the upcoming election, which is to be held in 2001.