President Mahinda Rajapaksa has thanked Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for India’s abstention from the vote on the US-sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The Times of India reported that President Mahinda Rajapaksa had addressed a warm thank you letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, days after India disregarded domestic political pressures and chose to abstain from the vote on the resolution.

The Times of India quoted Indian officials as saying that the decision to abstain from voting gives them greater flexibility to pressure Colombo on political devolution.

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