REFUGEE

COLOMBO: Noted Sri Lankan Tamil scholar, Professor Karthigesu Sivathamby, is yet to make up his mind about attending the International Classical Tamil Conference to be held in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu in June 2010.
“It is too early to say. There are eight more months to go. But some people are trying to force the issue on me,” he told Express here on Tuesday.
However, he indicated that he was interested in the success of the conference.
He pointed out that he had already sent a note to the organisers suggesting five topics that the conclave could discuss profitably.
Professor Sivathamby seemed to be disturbed by the reports in the Tamil Nadu media that he might not attend the conference, which prompted CM M Karunanidhi to issue a statement saying that the respected scholar would indeed participate in the meet.
Asked if he anticipated any resistance from the Sri Lankan government and if that was why he was not committing himself, Prof Sivathamby was quick to say ‘No’.
“There is no trouble at all from the Sri Lankan government. In fact, they would want me to attend it,” he said