Asin in the eye of the storm over Lanka eye camp

Controversy has continued to hound tinsel town beauty Asin ever since she became a brand ambassador for Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa during a film shoot in the island nation.

The latest storm is being kicked up by a pro-Tamil group, which has claimed that 10 people treated for cataract at an eye camp organised by the actress in Jaffnahave lost their vision. In all, 300 people had received medical treatment at the camp in July, when Asin was in Sri Lanka to shoot for the Salman Khan-starrer Ready.

The issue was first brought to light by a blogger, who had posted the photograph of an elderly man said to have lost his vision in the eye camp. There was also an appeal to extend financial assistance to help the affected regain their eyesight. Since they are a people displaced by war, they could not afford medical treatment, the appeal pointed out.

All those who have turned blind require huge sums to recover their eyesight, said Thirumurugan, convenor of the ‘May 17 Movement’, an outfit supporting the cause of the Lankan Tamils. “It is the duty of the film star to offer an explanation on what had gone wrong. Further, she should stop engaging in philanthropic activities in the island nation, which are only aimed at giving legitimacy to the regime in Colombo,” he added.

During her stay in Sri Lanka, she was ferried in a Lankan army aircraft to Jaffna, accompanied by the country’s first lady, Shiranthi Rajapaksa. Not stopping there, Asin pledged her continued engagement in Jaffnaand other Tamil areas and promised to organise similar eye camps to cover an estimated 10,000 people.

Thirumurugan wondered how Asin is permitted to visit the war-ravaged areas, while the UN and international NGOs, including the Red Cross, are being denied access. He claimed it was a plan hatched by the Rajapaksa regime, accused of committing war crimes against the Tamils, to gain legitimacy and the actress should refrain from such activities in the future.

Previously, Asin’s Lankan connection had drawn the ire of the Tamil film industry, which had boycotted the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) event held in Colomboprior to her film shoot. Consequently, there were protests in the Tamil film industry against Asin and even calls to blacklist her from Tamil films. Earlier this month, protesters disturbed proceedings at her film shoot in Ooty. - (India Today)