New Delhi, July 6
Bowing to unrelenting pressure from the ruling AIADMK and other political parties in Tamil Nadu, the Centre has decided to move Sri Lankan Air Force trainees from the Tambaram Air Force Station near Chennai.

Government sources said the Lankan personnel had completed their current phase of training at Tambaram. Appropriate arrangements were being made for their training elsewhere, they added.

The nine men have reportedly been moved to the Yalahanka base in Bangalore. Their nine-month training is aimed at helping them learn ground handling of transport aircraft.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had strongly objected to training of Lankan personnel in the state. "This is anti-Tamil and inappropriate at a time when the whole world is seeking action against Sri Lanka for violations in the war," she had said.

Joining the chorus, DMK chief M Karunanidhi and MDMK founder Vaiko said the move was "condemnable" and demanded that the Sri Lankan personnel be sent back.

Any sort of military assistance to Lanka by India has always triggered a strong reaction in Tamil Nadu. Some years ago, political parties in the state opposed the supply of radars to the country. Last year, a training programme for 25 Lankan soldiers at the Defence Service Staff College at Wellington was scrapped following political pressure.

Even as the merits of the decision were embarrassing, the move was unnecessarily, and rather mysteriously, made public through the media. The Chennai-based public relations officer of the Ministry of Defence issued a release announcing the decision to shift the men out of Chennai.

A sheepish MoD started an impromptu in-house fact-finding mission to probe how a press release was issued on such a sensitive international matter. Initial inputs suggested it was a faux pas. Till late in the night, the MoD and the Ministry of External Affairs were in damage control mode.