TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH

CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

(Established in 1990)

Ref : MU047/PR/2014                 27 June 2014

Next year will mark 100 years since the 1st racial riot in Sri Lanka

We, TCHR are deeply concerned about and strongly condemn the heinous violence that has been meted out this month against the Muslim community in Sri Lanka.

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TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH

CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

(Established in 1990)

Ref : WC74/PR/2013                 22 February 2013

SARATH FONSEKA IS BLUFFING ON WAR CRIMES

The article establishes how 12 year old Balachandran, an innocent child, son of the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam – LTTE was brutally killed.

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TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH

CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

(Established in 1990)

Ref : SL68/PR/2013                 21 February 2013

CONTINUED HARASSMENT OF JOURNALISTS IN SRI LANKA

According to international media watch dogs Sri Lanka remains a country that arrests, tortures, kidnaps, kills and disappears journalists. All this is done by “unknown/unidentified gunmen”. Who are they?

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TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH

CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

(Established in 1990)

Ref : HR043D/PR/2012                10 December 2012

UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS – UDHR A BRIEF ANALYSIS ON SRI LANKA

Considering the emphasis of articles in the UDHR, it is important to analyse how far the UDHR has been respected by the governments of Sri Lanka regarding the human rights of Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka (or earlier Ceylon).

 

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TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH

CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

(Established in 1990)

Ref : MR37/PR/2012                1 June 2012

WORLD HERITAGE IN SRI LANKA – BUDDHIST SITES ONLY

On 20 April 2012 thousands of Buddhist monks and their followers in Dambulla staged a protest against a Mosque and a Saiva (Hindu) Temple, setting out from a Buddhist sacred area in Dambulla...

 

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TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH

CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

(Established in 1990)

Ref : SS027/PR/2011                29 November 2011

1 ST DEATH ANNIVERSARY OF COURAGEOUS POPULAR JOURNALIST

Mr Subramaniam Sivanayagam - 29th November 2011

 

 

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TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH

CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

(Established in 1990)

Ref : XT035/PR/2010                     1 September 2010

WHERE ARE THOSE CHILD RIGHTS’ ACTIVISTS?

HOW LONG CAN SRI LANKA FOOL THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY?

 

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TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH

CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

(Established in 1990)

Ref : WE084/PR/2010                     19 May 2010

UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL’S RESOLUTION ON SRI LANKA IS A BOUNCED CHEQUE!

 

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TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH

CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

(Established in 1990)

Ref : QJ052/PR/2009                     22 July 2009

SRI LANKAN WAR CRIMINALS SHOULD BE CHARGED LOCALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY

“WE SEEK THE TRUTH AND WILL ENDURE THE CONSEQUENCES”
American academic, historian and President of Yale University - Charles Seymour (1 January 1885 – 11 August 1963)

 

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TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH

CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

(Established in 1990)

Ref : RJ052/PR/2009                     25 May 2009

TAMIL RANKS 15 LINGUISTIC GROUP IN THE WORLD!

Jacques Chirac, 22nd President of France (1995-2007)

 

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TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH

CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

(Established in 1990)

Ref : PG037/PR/2009                     19 May 2009

Massacre of civilians and Peace Emissaries

 

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TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH

CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

(Established in 1990)

Ref : LM028/PR/2009                 16 April 2009

There is no ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka - as some media mistakenly highlight
President Mahinda Rajapaksa to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council – 28 September 2007

 

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TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH

CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

(Established in 1990)

Ref : PR016A/PR/2009                 12 January 2009

Where is this so-called democratic government heading for?

 

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TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH

CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

(Established in 1990)

Ref : JP065D/PR/2008                 17 December 2008

‘Liberation’ and ‘dawn of democracy’ in the East

 

 

 

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TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH

CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

(Established in 1990)

Ref : JP065D/PR/2008                 17 December 2008

Killings in Batticaloa & Amparai, at night, between 20-29 November 2008

 

 

 

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TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH

CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

(Established in 1990)

Ref : HR052D/PR/2008                10 December 2008

60 TH ANNIVERSARY OF UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS – UDHR,
A BRIEF ANALYSIS ON SRI LANKA

 

 

 

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TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH

CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

(Established in 1990)

(UN accredited NGO to the World Summit on Information Society and the Warsaw Conference)

www.tchr.net

Ref : KL039/PR/2008                                                                           10 October 2008

 

Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Democracy!

Paramilitary Leader who kills Parliamentarians,

appointed as a Parliamentarian!

 

The Parliament is a legislative assembly in certain countries. The terminology ‘Parliament’ came from the French ‘Parler’ - Parle + ment. ‘Parler’ in French means ‘Speak’ in English. In many countries democratically elected members speak and discuss the betterment of their country and bring in legislation. But this is not the case in some countries.

 

In Sri Lanka, since the new Constitution, promulgated in September 1978, the President of the Republic of Sri Lanka has been Head of State, Head of Executive and of the Government and also the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. The President is responsible to Parliament for the due exercise, performance and discharge of his powers, duties and functions under the Constitution and written Laws, including the present laws relating to public security. Also the President has the power to dissolve parliament.

 

The President who masterminded this constitution, late J. R. Jeyawardena, proudly claimed that this Constitution gave him absolute power except to make a man a woman and vice versa’.

 

In Sri Lanka, what does ‘Parliament’ mean for ordinary citizens? In those days, once in five years, people cast their vote and some do not know why they are voting nor for whom they are voting. In recent years they have been voting more frequently but still many have the same questions – why, for what and for whom?

 

As far as the Sri Lanka parliament is concerned, it has done more damage to the Tamils than good. We do not think it is necessary here, for us to go into the long chronology of discriminative acts passed by the numerical majority against the will of the Tamils in the parliament.

 

Election results of 1977, 2002 and 2004

buried under the carpet

 

Anyhow, in recent days when the Sri Lankan President, Ministers, government officials along with their Pied Pipers speak about ‘Democracy’ in Sri Lanka, they only mention what is in their favour, never mind through what means it was achieved! This is all very short-sighted.

 

The general elections in 1977, 2002 and 2004 and the results thereof have been buried under the carpet, by the ruling governments. These were the few free and fair elections in which the Tamils of the North East cast their votes. However, the many elections which were conducted at gun-point with heavy vote-rigging and fraudulent results are paraded locally and internationally as the ‘birth of Democracy’. What hypocrisy!

 

Now the latest addition to ‘Democracy’ in Sri Lanka is a Paramilitary Leader taking oath as a Parliamentarian! The opposition Leader (United National Party,) Ranil Wickremasinghe has described this reward, given to a killer, as a ‘disgrace’.

 

The Sinhala extremist party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna - JVP in Sri Lanka, has filed a Fundamental Rights application before the Supreme Court seeking an Interim order to prevent Paramilitary Leader Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan alias Karuna from taking oaths in parliament as a member of parliament.

 

This FR application was filed by the JVP to secure the rights of their party, only on the basis of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the SLFP and the JVP in January 2004 which established the political alliance of United People's Freedom Alliance - UPFA.

 

But have any of these political parties legally challenged the President on appointing a Paramilitary killer who is responsible for many murders of members of Civil Society (Parliamentarians, Journalists, Humanitarian workers, Human Rights defenders and others) and also the rape of a humanitarian worker?

 

Of course some media have rightly pointed out that the Paramilitary killer appointed to parliament is responsible for many killings and was convicted in the United Kingdom for entering UK on a false diplomatic passport. Human rights organisation, including Amnesty International called for him to be indicted for his Crimes against humanity. Instead of being charged for his horrendous atrocities, the so-called ‘Democratic Government’ in Sri Lanka, has made a path for him to enter parliament.

 

Why has this killer been appointed to Parliament?

 

Let us consider the real reasons why this Paramilitary killer, especially after having been convicted in the UK, has been appointed to Parliament. There are a few possibilities.

 

One - In order to divert the attention of the media and the international community, from the fact that he is actively working with the Sri Lankan military in the battlefield, he has been appointed as a parliamentarian.

 

Two - This Paramilitary Leader on his return from UK said to the media, that he ‘went to UK on false travel documents because he has not seen his wife and children for two years’!

 

If this were the case, this may be laying foundation for him to return to the UK on a legal diplomatic passport.

 

Three - Due to security reasons many TNA members of Parliament have stopped going to their constituencies limiting their attendance at formal functions to the Parliament only. If this is the case, the appointed Paramilitary killer could be harmful to those members even in the vicinity of Parliament. His presence in the parliament has to be taken seriously by the TNA parliamentarians.

 

Four - Now the President has some legal difficulty in taking another Paramilitary Leader, Douglas Devananda with him to some important countries. Therefore Mahinda Rajapaksa may be preparing to take this companion on his overseas travel for further international lobby.

 

President to be challenged for his abuse of power

 

Whatever the circumstance, while he was taking oath in the Parliament on 7 September, Members of the UNP, the TNA and the JVP were not present in Parliament. If this was an act of protest against his swearing-in ceremony, they should all get together and challenge the President using the 1978 Constitution, Chapter VII, Article 38 paragraph (2) (a) for his abuse of power pardoning a paramilitary killer and appointing the same as a parliamentarian. Also the challenge could be taken to the Supreme Court.

 

Articles for qualification and disqualification for election as Member of Parliament in the 1978 Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, are all watered-down by the possibility of the President granting free pardon. (Chapter X, The Legislature, Article 66 (d); Chapter XIV, The Franchise and Elections, Article 89 (c),(d) and Article 91 (1)(a) are watered-down by Chapter VII, The Executive, The President of the Republic, Article 34 (2) )

 

In the 1978 Constitution, Chapter VII, Article 34 (2) allows the President to grant ‘blanket pardon’ to anyone of his choice. Therefore, Chapter VII, Article 38 paragraph (2) (a) is the best remedy left for those in the parliament to challenge the President for his abuse of power on this appointment.

 

Any political party which is really for ‘Democracy’ and ‘Good Governance’ will challenge the President on appointing a Criminal as a member of parliament.

 

HEAD OFFICE:

Tamil Centre for Human Rights - TCHR/CTDH

9, rue des Peupliers - 95140 Garge les Gonesse - FRANCE

Contact person : S. V. Kirubaharan – General Secretary

Tel/Fax: + 33 1 42 67 54 36 - Email: tchrgs@hotmail.com / tchgs@tchr.net

TCHR-UK

Tamil Centre for Human Rights - TCHR/CTDH

PO Box 182, Manchester M16 8ED, UNITED KINGDOM

Contact person : Deirdre McConnell – Director International Programme

Fax: + 44 161 860 4609 - Email: tchrdip@hotmail.com / tchrdip@tchr.net

TCHR-NETHERLANDS

Tamil Centrum voor Mensenrechten- TCHR  

Stellingmolen 43, 1703 TE Heerhugowaard

THE NETHERLANDS

Contact person : Indiran Chinniah

TCHR-SWITZERLAND

Tamilen Zentrum fur Mensenrechten - TCHR

P. o. Box : 319

8172 – Niederglatt, SWITZERLAND

Contact person : Thambirajah Genegatharan

Email : tchrswitzerland@hotmail.com

 

 

 

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TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH

CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

(Established in 1990)

(UN accredited NGO to the World Summit on Information Society and the Warsaw Conference)

www.tchr.net

Ref : GJ032/PR/2008                                                                           22 July 2008

 

Wake-up call to foreign countries!

Sri Lanka should be referred to the International Criminal Court

 

Why so much support for ‘terrorism’ and ‘terrorists’ in Sri Lanka?

 

“To my mind, what we ought to have maintained from the beginning was the strictest neutrality. If we had done this, I do not believe we would have been on the (verge of) war at the present time”. George William Norris, US Senator from 1913-1943

 

Before we make our appeal to foreign countries, we want to make it clear that in ‘no way’ does this appeal justify or request any countries to ignore law breakers. Right from the beginning, TCHR has always maintained the policy that the citizens or residents of any country should respect law and order, including in de-facto states.

 

In Ceylon, when the first Colonial master, the Portuguese landed in 1505, there were three Kingdoms. One of these was Tamil, and was known as the “Jaffna Kingdom”, covering the area of the North and East, the Tamils' hereditary regions. The other two Kingdoms - Kotte in the South and South West and Kandy in the Centre were known as Sinhala Kingdoms. The Portuguese ruled Ceylon from 1619 to 1658; followed by the Dutch until 1795. The British took over from the Dutch and ruled until independence in February 1948. During the colonial period, all three Kingdoms were ruled separately until the British amalgamated them in 1833, under the pretext of easy administration. This is the history of the Island.

 

Long before the Dutch arrived on the island, the Tamil Kingdom had a separate set of customary laws, known as ‘Thesavalamai’. These laws apply mostly to land, property and social affairs and were mainly used in Jaffna but also to a certain extent throughout the entire North. During the same period, another set of customary laws was also in use in Batticaloa, which did not contradict Thesavalamai. Even today, Thesavalamai is still in use.

 

This is to say that, prior to colonisation, the citizens of the Tamil Kingdom had all the laws they needed to settle their land disputes and social affairs connected to their culture. In any case, Tamils are, in general, obedient citizens and criminalisation is not a characteristic of the community.

 

not a criminal community

 

Retired Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police - DIG, Mr R. Suntharalingam, who was the Superintendent of the Police of Jaffna in the late 60s and 70s, made a remark that there was no serious Crime in Jaffna, other than the 'theft of Bicycles'. This was the case also in other parts of the North East. This is testimony to the character of the people, but of course there are exceptions.

 

The Island history reveals that the Tamils were betrayed by every post-independence government and by opportunist politicians. Even prior to Independence, there had been many negotiations between Tamil leaders and Sinhala leaders to resolve the ethnic conflict, but no durable solution was found.

 

When independence was given by the British in 1948, even though Tamils had their separate Kingdom, then Tamil leaders thought that they could live in peace and harmony with the numerical majority Singhalese. But this proved impossible when the Singhalese obtained majority rule. The violent response by the Sinhala rulers to nearly thirty five years of non-violent protest by the Tamils against discrimination, created the conditions for the birth of the Tamil freedom struggle through use of arms – a struggle which has been going on for the last twenty five years, with the exception of a few short intervals. Sadly this is portrayed by Sri Lanka as a 'terrorist problem' to the outside world.

150 years after unification

 

One should not forget that, exactly 150 years after the unification of the Tamil Kingdom with the other Kingdoms, the island’s worst riots against the Tamils took place, in which over 5,000 Tamil were killed. In July 1983, Tamils were forced to seek protection in western countries including Australia, Canada and USA. In fact, this was encouraged by the government in power without realising the long term repercussions. During that time, the Sri Lanka government held the view that by reducing the Tamil population in the Island, they could suppress the Tamil Freedom Struggle. Eventually this idea became counterproductive.

 

The people who sought protection in foreign countries came forward to help their kith and kin in their homeland and also to safeguard their language, culture and properties. This included support for the political ideology of the Freedom struggle. The Tamil diaspora became the prime saviours of the Tamils suffering from humanitarian disasters, caused by the various racist policies of the government – military oppression and an imposed economic embargo which created devastating conditions in the North East. Similar policies continue even today, maintained by the government which claims that Tamils in the North East are its citizens.

 

Sri Lanka’s response in several phases

 

As a consequence, Sri Lanka created a series of actions against the Tamil Freedom Struggle and Diaspora Tamils.

 

Phase I – Sri Lanka requested arms and ammunition from foreign countries in the pretext of fighting Terrorism. Many countries which never even knew the history of the island have pumped in all sorts of military hardware for nearly two decades. But, have they wiped out so-called terrorism in Sri Lanka? Here, we would like to recall what was said by UK Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN - Lord Malloch Brown on 5 March 2008 in the 7th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. He said, “In Sri Lanka, a country facing a substantial terrorist threat, unfortunately International concern has not made any impact........”. 

 

Here the question arises, why has International concern not made any impact in Sri Lanka? It is blatantly obvious that the Tamil Freedom struggle is not terrorism as has been portrayed by Sri Lankan government misinformation - with the help of some allies. Without realising this fact, the international community is carrying out ONE-SIDED actions.

 

As a result of the failure of Phase I, Sri Lanka started a second phase - Phase II, requesting foreign countries to ban the activities of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam - LTTE. Also, Sri Lanka introduced a new international phenomenon, regarding ‘Child rights’, namely the ignoring of major human rights and welfare of children and the giving of deliberately unbalanced prominence to the issue of ‘Child soldiers’. In order to carry out this propaganda against the Freedom struggle locally and internationally, the government employed a few Tamils and some NGOs. Here, it is worth noting what Mr V Anandasangare wrote in June 2008 to Douglas Devananda, a paramilitary leader and a Minister in the present cabinet. Mr Anandasangare stated that, ‘‘...It is very unfortunate that the successive governments had made use of these members from minority Tamil parties either to capture power or to remain in power. The country as a whole is now suffering for the sins committed by some leaders in the past who acted selfishly and without any patriotic feeling’’. It is to be noted that Mr V Anandasangaree was one of the persons who travelled along with Douglas Devananda branding the Tamil diaspora who were supporting their freedom struggle as ‘terrorist supporters’ and requesting the International Community to help to free the Tamils in the North East from the “clutches” of the LTTE!

 

As Phase II also became a failure, Phase III started to take shape – The Sri Lankan government demanded that other countries sling mud on the Tamil Freedom struggle and the diaspora living in peace and harmony in host countries. As a result - Tamil media (TVs, Radios, News papers and Websites), community organisations, cultural and religious places and shopping centres became the target.

 

The Tamil media, especially Televisions managed by the diaspora, had been giving factual information supported by on the spot reporting of incidents taking place in the North East. This was useful not only to the Tamils but also to other peace loving citizens and media in other languages, in the west. This factual information not only earned shame for the Sri Lankan government but also it contradicted the disinformation propaganda carried out by the Sri Lankan embassies and their troublesome allies. It is a pity that the western countries which are for free media and freedom of expression were supporting lies and deception on the situation in Sri Lanka.

 

We understand that a few actions taken in some countries were on the basis of maintaining law and order in those countries. But are these countries aware that accounts of their actions are promptly exaggerated and used for propaganda purposes by the Sri Lankan government and their Embassies, pro-government media and websites portraying those countries as supportive of Sri Lanka’s war against the Tamil Freedom struggle and the diaspora supporting the struggle.

 

Sri Lanka ‘enormously grateful’ to France and UK!

 

On 13th June 2008, during the discussion on the report of the Universal Periodic Review on Sri Lanka (8th Session of Human Rights Council in Geneva), the Secretary to the Ministry of Human Rights and Secretary General of the (SCOPP), Rajiva Wijesinha said ‘‘…..some countries like France and the United Kingdom have been WONDERFUL on trying to stop terrorist funding and we are ENORMOUSLY GRATEFUL, but we realise that other countries DON’T…’’. (quoted from the UN Human Rights Council Webcast) If this can happen in a UN public forum, one can imagine how the Sri Lankan government and its media are using references to these countries in local and regional propaganda.

 

Anyhow as a result of the Sri Lankan propaganda, actions carried out by those host countries gave a very bad impression about the Tamils to their fellow citizens in Western countries. Fellow citizens started to look at Tamils as people who are supporting something equal to Al Qaida or Bin Laden! This is completely false. As we said at the beginning, anyone who does not respect law and order should be brought to justice without reservation. But this should not be turned into a rejection of a whole community. Every community has good and bad individuals.

What options left for Tamil diaspora in foreign countries?

 

Now what options are left for the Tamil diaspora in foreign countries? Can the Tamil diaspora be spectators while the land of their birth is under heavy military occupation and their kith and kin are under severe and brutal military oppression? If the Tamil diaspora would like to return to their place of birth, can these foreign countries and the Sri Lankan government promise safe passage for their return?

 

We doubt whether this is possible! Firstly, horrible human right violations continue and the UN and other International NGOs are unable to help the 700,000 IDPs. Secondly, the Sri Lankan government is unlikely to accept this idea, especially in a situation where it is carrying out propaganda regarding 'Child soldiers’ in the North East. Then the Sri Lankan government would presumably have to create another new phase on ‘Elderly soldiers’ and ‘Foreign returned soldiers’. In such a situation, some NGOs may be happy to expand their business as well.

 

It is sad that many foreign countries which value democracy, peace and security have decided to punish the Tamil diaspora as a whole, openly giving a green light to a brutal regime. Do we have to remind these countries about the appalling human rights record of Sri Lanka? What is the consolation these countries are giving to the oppressed and victimised people in the North East?

 

Is this not terrorism?

 

è       Sri Lanka is in no way qualified to talk about terrorism or the fight against it because this was the 1st country in the world which gave a hero’s welcome to the hijacker of an Alitalia Boeing 747 with 340 passengers on 30 June 1982. Also Sri Lanka turned down the request from the Italian government that the hijacker be handed over to them. 

 

        Those who talk about terrorism in Sri Lanka should know what the International Community did to Libya when the Libyan authorities refused to return the suspects of the Lockerbie bombing of Pan American Flight-103 that took place on 21 December 1988.

 

        How come Sri Lanka was exempted from these International procedures?

 

è       Is there any country in the world which tries to assassinate a visiting State leader, especially while the guard of honour was being given by a host country? On 30 July 1987, when the Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was inspecting the guard of honour given by the Sri Lankan Navy in Colombo, a sailor struck Rajiv Gandhi forcefully with the butt of his unloaded gun attempting to assassinate him. 

 

        It was well known that then Prime Minister Premadasa and the JVP were behind this attempted assassination of the Indian Prime Minister. This sailor was released under a general amnesty granted after Premadasa became President.

 

è       The government smuggled another Paramilitary leader Karuna (Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan) to London, UK, on a forged Diplomatic passport, on 18 September 2007; while harbouring and supporting the activities of the Paramilitary groups, not to mention its own forces responsible for kidnapping and mass killings of innocent civilians. Is this not terrorism?

 

è       Is fund raising through Sri Lankan embassies to buy arms and ammunition for a war to suppress another Nation, not terrorism? This fund-raising is well promoted in all pro-government media and websites.

 

It is a puzzle!

 

è         What happened to the mandate given by the people from the North East in the July 1977 general election? In this free and fair election, the Tamil people gave a mandate to exercise the “right to self-determination” in the North East. If the Tamils had rejected their right to self-determination, today this fact would have been at the top of the agenda of the Sri Lanka government and the international community.

 

è         The Sri Lankan governments including the present Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government accepted the LTTE as the sole representatives of the Tamils and had talks in Geneva in February and October 2006, then promptly returned home and claimed that the LTTE is not the sole representatives of the Tamils. Thus, the government tried to deny that LTTE has mass support from the people. It also tried to misinform the world saying that Tamils, their freedom struggle and the LTTE are not inter-linked! However, Tamils are proving that they do not agree with this government position.

 

è         Demonstrations which have taken place in foreign countries in support of the Freedom Struggle and the LTTE have always been attended by thousands. There have been demonstrations in Canada, Brussels, Geneva and London with more than ten thousand participants. If the Tamil Freedom struggle is a ‘Terrorist problem’ would all these people come forward in public? Could these demonstrators be brought forcefully? In reality, the foreign countries are failing to consider the mass support by the Tamils for their Freedom struggle in the island and instead believe the Mickey-mouse talk of the Sri Lankan government.

 

è         At the same time, Sri Lankan government embassies sponsored anti-Tamil Freedom Struggle demos which had no more than one hundred participants. This statement can be verified from the authorities in any country.

 

è         Furthermore, the government arbitrarily divided the North Eastern province, held a fraudulent election and installed a Chief Minister who is a paramilitary leader directly responsible for many killings in 2004 onwards, including those of Parliamentarians and Academics.

 

         Here we give figures of the latest demonstrations organised within the last two months by the Tamil diaspora. Despite various difficulties - jobs, transport, climate and responsibilities of family affairs, a fairly good number of the 500,000 Tamils in foreign countries has participated in these demonstrations in support of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the freedom struggle. In addition to the above mentioned difficulties, one has to bear in mind that the Sri Lankan embassies and their informants carry out intimidation and harassment of the Tamil diaspora, behaving like local police in these countries.

 

         These are serious realities for consideration by impartial decision makers of democratic and peace loving countries.

 

Could these demonstrators be brought forcefully,

To support ‘terrorism’, in foreign countries?

 

Country                                                     Participant                              Date

 

Canada                                                      +75,000                                   05/07/2008

United Kingdom                                        +40,000                                   12/07/2008

Germany                                                   +8,000                                     28/06/2008

France                                                       +7,000                                     18/06/2008

Switzerland                                               +4,000                                     05/07/2008

Denmark                                                   +3,000                                     14/06/2008

Norway                                                      +3,000                                     14/06/2008

Australia   - Melbourne & Sydney                       +4,000                                     05&06/07/2008

Italy – Milano & Palermo                          +1,500                                     15&29/06/2008

Netherlands                                              +1,000                                     22/06/2008

South Africa                                              +500                                        21/06/2008

New Zealand                                             +350                                        14/06/2008

Sweden                                                     +300                                        28/06/2008

Belgium                                                     +200                                        23/06/2008

Finland                                                      ????                                        00/06/2008     

 

Have we seen ANY NEWS ITEMS about these demonstrations in the local TV and other media in those countries? Sri Lankan embassies in those countries are making the media CENSOR any positive news items concerning the Tamil freedom struggle. This is a typical example which shows that there is no active neutrality visible within so called free media in western countries, including the BBC Tamil service.

 

When we submit all these realities, it raises the question as to whether media and the decision makers of some countries are caught up in dine and wine arrangements and lavish romantic entertainment of the Sri Lanka government and embassies which can be part of their powerful weapons of propaganda.

 

 

Sri Lanka should be referred to the International Criminal Court

 

è         There is ample evidence to prove that the Sri Lankan government is committing genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in the North East. The evidence shows that the Sri Lankan government masterminded and implemented a plan to destroy the North East, in sustained acts of ethnic cleansing. The Sri Lankan government pursues the people. The motives are political and their intent is genocide. Sri Lankan security forces have attacked residents, schools, religious places, public places, and villages and destroyed them too. The internally displaced people are subjected to conditions calculated to bring about their destruction and the government obstructs international assistance. Members of the Sri Lankan security forces, paramilitary and home guards are raping and gang-raping Tamil women and young girls in the North East.

 

è         For more than two decades, the Sri Lankan government has been denying these crimes. They are preventing the truth about the crimes from being revealed; concealing their crimes under the guise of a ‘counter terrorism strategy’, or ‘inter-ethnic clashes’. The Sri Lankan government promoted and provided impunity to the members of the Security forces, the paramilitary and the home guards, in order to secure their willingness to commit genocide.

 

è         In addition to using all sorts of military hardware to commit genocide, food and rape are also being used as weapons of war.

 

è         There is ample evidence to prove that the Sri Lankan government, instead of assisting the people of North East, has mobilised the entire state apparatus, including the armed forces, the intelligence services, the diplomatic and public information bureaucracies - locally and internationally, and the justice system, to subject the 700.000 IDP’s to extreme oppression, and many of the 500,000 who sought protection in foreign countries to unacceptable conditions.

 

è         The Sri Lankan Executive President is the Commander in Chief. He is using the whole state apparatus, all members of security forces, paramilitary and home guards and they all report directly to him and to his own brother the defence secretary.

 

è         Therefore, we the Tamil Centre for Human Rights – TCHR, appeal to foreign countries that the crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in the North East – committed by the Sri Lankan government should be referred to the International Criminal Court through the good office of the UN Security Council.

 

COUNTRIES IGNORING REALITIES

 

AUSTRALIA

 

Australian citizens, VVIPS like Prof Philip Alston of the United Nations and Prof John Whitehall, a Paediatrician and Director of Townsville Hospital's Neonatal Unit, were accused of supporting the LTTE because they spoke about the realities in Sri Lanka. The Tamil Freedom struggle is in no way different to East-Timor’s struggle for right to self-determination.

CANADA

 

Oppressed Tamils trusted the democracy and hospitality of Canada and moved there in large numbers for their safety and security. Neither democracy nor politics in Sri Lanka are the same as in Canada. In Canada the people of French speaking Quebec were offered a referendum to decide their political destiny. Whereas in Sri Lanka, for the last sixty years, there has been an ongoing drama about devolution of powers but nothing whatsoever has been implemented. Each time the international community insists on devolution of powers, the government in power uses Tamils as a scapegoat and dodges the request of the international community.

 

Some Canadian VVIPs belonging to important international organisations – dignitaries like Ms Louis Arbour and Alan Rock, were accused of supporting the LTTE because they spoke about the realities in Sri Lanka. If the international community believes this politically-motivated talk of the Sri Lankan government then many VVIPs around the world will be seen as ‘Terrorists’ and ‘Terrorist supporters’.

 

CHINA

 

Mao Tse-tung overthrew Chiang Kai-Shek’s Kuomintang (KMT) regime in October 1949. The government which captured power in a revolution from an aggressor is supporting a brutal regime which is denying the right to self determination of Tamils.

 

CUBA

 

This is another government which captured power in a revolution and is supporting a brutal regime which is denying the right to self determination of Tamils.

 

Cuba supported the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa and the Palestinians especially while Nelson Mandela and Yasser-Arafat were known to the world as ‘terrorists’. We believe that Cuba is misinformed about the Tamil Freedom struggle.

 

We do not think that Cuba would have forgotten so quickly the recent gimmicks of Sri Lanka. In 2006, in an election for membership in the UN Security Council, President Mahinda Rajapaksa promised personally to the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in New York that Sri Lanka would vote for Venezuela. When the election came they ignored Venezuela and President Chavez was totally disappointed with the behaviour of Sri Lanka.

 

FRANCE

 

During World War II, when France was occupied by Germany, the Vichy regime in France collaborated with Nazi Germany, headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain, and branded all the “Resistance movement’s” activities as “Terrorism”. Eventually Philippe Pétain ended up in French modern history as a “Traitor”.

 

The question of who is a terrorist and who is the saviour of the Tamils is decided by the masses - not by the government which disseminates disinformation propaganda.

 

Two VVIPs from France Dr. Bernard Kouchner, present Minister of Foreign Affairs and Judge Jean-Pierre Cot saw the stark reality while they were members of the International Independent Group of Eminent Persons – IIGEP. The IIGEP terminated its functions, unable to carry out its mandate in Sri Lanka.

 

Even after two years, no inquiry has been conducted into the case of the 17 humanitarian workers who were killed while on duty working for the French NGO, Action Contre la Faim – ACF. This is one of thousands of cases happening to the Tamils in the island.

 

It is to be noted that Sri Lanka has included France in their propaganda, as one of the countries which is doing ‘wonderful’ help for them!

INDIA

 

On 30 July 1987, when the Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi visited Sri Lanka to sign the Indo-Lanka accord and while he was inspecting the guard of honour in Colombo, a Navy sailor struck him forcefully with the butt of his unloaded gun attempting to assassinate him. 

 

It was well known to the world that then Prime Minister Premadasa and the JVP were behind this attempted assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and that the naval officer who attacked Rajiv Gandhi became a political hero in Sri Lanka. This sailor was released under a general amnesty granted after Premadasa became President.

 

In fact, the present government in power, especially the Sri Lanka Freedom Party to which President Mahinda Rajapaksa belongs, was totally against the Indo-Lanka accord signed in 1987.

 

In 1971, during the India-Pakistan war, the Colombo airport in Sri Lanka was used by Pakistan to wage war against India.

 

As an anti-Indian move, in 1987, Bombay onion and Mysore dhal were renamed in Colombo as ‘Big onion’ and Red dhal by the people who are today in power.

 

ITALY

 

Alitalia Boeing 747 hijacked -  where is the hijacker?

 

Alitalia Boeing 747 with 340 passengers on 30 June 1982 was hijacked by one Sepala Ekanayake, a Singhalese from deep South of Sri Lanka while the aeroplane was between New Delhi and Tokyo. The plane was forced to land in Bangkok airport. After 35 hours of drama there, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Thailand personally went to the airport and assured Sepala that he could go to Sri Lanka without any fear.

 

Sri Lanka allowed the hijacker into the country, with 300,000 US dollars that the hijacker received as ransom from Alitalia. Sri Lanka took no action on this hijacker for several weeks, until international pressure was mounted. Also Sri Lanka turned down the request from the Italian government that the hijacker be handed over to them. 

 

This hijacker of Alitalia Boeing 747 is a strong supporter of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party and worked hard in Pollanaruwa, Anuradhapura and Matalan districts during the recent elections. 

 

IRAN and PAKISTAN

 

These countries are member states of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) which fully supports a de-facto state in Cyprus, the right to self-determination of Kashmiris and the independence of Palestine.

 

The present Iranian government has forgotten that it came to power by a revolution against what was considered a repressive monarchy and today is holding hands with an aggressor in Sri Lanka who is denying the right to self-determination of Tamils.

USA

In 1984, soon after the armed conflict started in Sri Lanka, two Americans known as the 'Alan couple' from Ohio in USA were kidnapped in Jaffna by the Douglas Devananda group. Douglas Devananda of the EPDP, is a Minister in the present cabinet in Sri Lanka.

 

Until today the Sri Lankan government has not taken any action against him, but continues to use the labels of ‘terrorism’ and ‘terrorists’ about others. How does the international community see this action?

 

Can any difference be seen between Mahinda Rajapaksa and Sadam Hussein of Iraq? Sadam Hussein also had elections in Iraq! Does it mean then that his government was democratically elected?

 

UNITED KINGDOM

 

People of the United Kingdom fully endorsed the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, even though the ANC’s military wing MK - Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation) was accused of several bombings in South Africa. Despite this, the people of Britain supported it because apartheid created hell on earth.

It is worth considering that the UK has residual colonial responsibility, which on an ethical basis should prevent it from taking sides in the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. This year is the 175th year of amalgamation of the Tamil Kingdom along with other Sinhala Kingdoms by UK government in 1833. Today the Tamils are facing permanent consequences arising from that amalgamation.

 

Many VVIPs from UK - Sir John Holmes of the United Nations and UK Parliamentarians were accused of supporting the LTTE because they spoke about the realities in Sri Lanka.

 

It is to be noted that Sri Lanka has included United Kingdom in their propaganda as one of the countries which is doing ‘wonderful’ help for them.

 

It is very hard to see any active neutrality in many of these countries.

 

-----------------

 

TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH

CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

(Established in 1990)

(UN accredited NGO to the World Summit on Information Society and the Warsaw Conference)

www.tchr.net

 

Ref : HG023/PR/2008                25 April 2008


“Dictatorial Democracy’’ in Sri Lanka


Democratic institutions form a system of quarantine for tyrannical desires
-- Friedrich Nietzsche, German Philosopher 1844-1900


Respect for human rights is an indispensable element of a vibrant democracy. People are not free when there is no freedom of thought, speech, and movement.


The French philosopher Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet 1694-1778), once described the foundation of all democracy :  “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”, without this fundamental foundation, a country cannot be considered democratic.


Countries with vibrant and transparent democracies function on the basis of certain principles.  Namely, government based upon consent of the governed; minority accepted majority rule; respect for human rights; free and fair elections; equality before the law; due process of law; constitutional limits on government; social, economic, and political pluralism; values of tolerance; and cooperation,  compromise and sovereignty of the people. 


Countries which practice these principles - mainly Western countries - can be under the illusion that when others talk about prevailing democracy in their countries, those governments too, practice democracy as outlined above. However, in some cases, this is just a myth of no practical value.


Principles underlying democracy in Sri Lanka


If we take Sri Lanka as an example, the principles of democracy there, are  - Government based upon consent of the majority which rules in coalition with extreme political parties for further suppression of the political rights of Tamils; no respect for human rights –  (international human rights standards are ignored and government officials including officials of the Attorney General department internationally justify the violations of the security forces, paramilitary and state terrorism); lack of free and fair elections – (vote rigging in elections, and candidates with criminal records  - responsible for mass murders, rape and abductions, contest the elections and enjoying impunity.) Furthermore, there is no equality before the law, as the judiciary is biased. Until today, not a single culprit responsible for political murders of Tamils has been convicted; constitutional limits are in the hand of the Executive President and periodic amendments to the constitution are only in favour of Sinhala rule and Buddhism. Social, economic and political pluralism are only for the Singhalese; for the Tamils, they are not worth the paper they are written on, and merely serve the government’s international propaganda purposes.  Values of tolerance have no place – the government encourages criminal activities and today Sri Lanka ranks as the country with the highest number of disappearances in the world. Cooperation and compromise do not exist even in their vocabulary. Many pacts have been arbitrarily broken by the government, which has refused and rejected political negotiations with the Tamils. Sovereignty of the people is wrongly interpreted as sovereignty of the state. Tamil elected representatives are ignored and the government deals only with unelected representatives and the proxies of the paramilitary.  This is why it is a “Dictatorial Democracy”, rather than a proper democracy, in Sri Lanka.


 ‘Legalising’ the bullets through forced ballots


Since 1947, Sri Lanka has had thirteen general elections and five presidential elections. What the Western countries have failed to realise is that until very recently, not a single candidate from the  peasant/working class had won Parliamentary or Presidential elections in Sri Lanka. In other words, the majority of voters were casting their votes for the financial benefits from the rich candidates, rather than for the policy of a party. In the North East, since the TULF (Tamil United Liberation Front, present Tamil National Alliance-TNA) was established in 1976, people were voting for the party manifesto and on that basis many TULF/TNA peasant/working class candidates were elected to the Parliament from the North East. Of course this has changed very recently in the South, since the extreme political party, the JVP (Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna) became a coalition partner of the major political party and the JVP candidates from the peasant/working class won the elections through the support of their  coalition partners. Unlike in the West, the votes are actually bought by the rich candidates.


Since Mahinda Rajapaksa became President, the situation has been dire in the East. The paramilitary cadres who are responsible for many killings including members of civil society, elected representatives and children, are contesting elections with impunity. The voters are voting out of fear of the criminals rather than constructively for a policy.


These manipulated and corrupt elections are portrayed to the international community as the practice of democracy by the “International Propagandists of the Sri Lankan government (IPSG)”. Even though some countries know the truth about Sri Lanka’s ‘dictatorial democracy’, they prefer to remain silent. In fact, these elections are “legalising” the bullets through forced ballots!


The way democracy works in Sri Lanka


Now let us look at how the ‘free and fair elections and democracy’ work in Sri Lanka.



As soon as independence was given and majority rule was introduced in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), the very first thing that the Sinhalese rulers did was to use the same parliamentary democracy and majority rule to disenfranchise more than a million plantation Tamils in the island and deprive them of citizenship.


Then, using the same democracy, the Sri Lankan rulers successfully implemented the  ‘Sinhala Only Act’ (one language act); land reform in favour of Sinhala settlers and standardisation in Education making it necessary for Tamil students to score more marks than Singhalese students to enter the Universities. The minimum constitutional protection that the Tamils were granted in the post independence constitution was removed and many other manipulations were carried out against the Tamils in the name of ‘democracy’.


At the same time, the people from the North East had voted overwhelming in the July 1977 General elections to establish and exercise their “Right to Self-determination” in the North East. This mandate was not only ignored by the government - the 6th amendment to the constitution was enacted, which totally rejected the right to self-determination of the Tamil people, (8th August 1983). This amendment outlawed the mandate voted by the Tamils. 


Then again another democratic mandate voted by the people from the North East in the last General election in April 2004 was also deliberately ignored by the government. In this election, the political party "Tamil National Alliance (TNA)" won overwhelmingly in 22 electorates in the North East. The people in the North East voted for the TNA election manifesto which stated, "Accepting LTTE’s leadership as the national leadership of the Tamil Eelam Tamils and the Liberation Tigers as the sole and authentic representatives of the Tamil people, let us devote our full cooperation for the ideals of the Liberation Tigers’ struggle with honesty and steadfastness". 


Therefore, elections in Sri Lanka are used as a tool by Sri Lankan rulers at local, regional and provincial levels for their own convenience and for international propaganda. 


Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe has been in power for the last 28 years using elections; Saddam Hussein of Iraq, Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippine, Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan and many other leaders also held elections. However it took a very long time for the international community as a whole to realise the hypocrisy of those elections.


The international community has a responsibility to ask and analyse – Why are there elections in Sri Lanka? How are those elections conducted? Who are the candidates contesting in these elections?  Are they paramilitary candidates with a record of crimes against humanity?


60 years of discussion on constitutional amendments 


For the last sixty years, different governments in power in Sri Lanka have discussed constitutional amendments to give political rights to the Tamils. During the same period, there were two new constitutions (1972 & 1978) successfully enacted by different governments to protect the interests of Sinhala rule and Buddhism. When these two new constitutions were enacted, the government deliberately ignored any constitutional amendments in protection of the Tamils’ rights. It is a pity that these facts are not seriously considered by the international community which still believes in and is duped by government ‘proposals’!


In an attempt to obscure all these pre-planned manipulations by various governments, the present “International Propagandists of the Sri Lankan Government (IPSG)” are dividing the island’s history into two. The first period is from 1948 to 1983 that is to say ‘when Sinhala Buddhists made a mistake by not granting the fundamental rights of the Tamils’. The second period is from 1983 until the present day, ‘during which the LTTE has been a stumbling block for the Sinhala Buddhists to grant any political consolation to the Tamils’. 


In fact, government propagandists are diplomatically admitting that from 1948 to 1983 mistakes were made because it was the period when the Tamils demanded their political rights, only through non-violent methods. During this period there were two pacts arbitrarily broken by the government and unarmed Tamils were massacred, burned to death, raped and their properties were looted and destroyed in all parts of the island by the Sri Lankan security forces and Sinhala thugs.


International propagandists and their gimmicks


President Mahinda Rajapaksa has chosen some International propagandists from the Attorney General’s Department, the Ministries of Justice, Defence, Foreign Affairs, Human Rights and from the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP). 


After the declaration of independence by Kosovo, Sri Lanka and its propagandists have been in a panic because many states including three permanent members of the Security Council have recognised Kosovan independence. Therefore these propagandists have embarked on a desperate move to spread misinformation to the international community about the demand for the recognition of the right to self-determination of Tamils. A few examples are given below :


“There are eighty million Tamils in the world who do not have a country of their own. Sri Lanka would be the only country where they can install such a State.  Quite logically, the Sinhalese majority will not let the small island of Sri Lanka - the only country in which Sinhalese is still spoken - to become a dismembered and separated State”.


This is a ridiculous statement which has not taken the history of the island into consideration. Of course, the majority of the diplomats in the United Nations are not interested in more than two thousand years of history of Sri Lanka or any country. They are only worried about current affairs.


Sri Lanka may be a small island, but it is a shame to note that, presently the UN Working group on disappearances has recorded that Sri Lanka ranks as the country with the highest number of disappearances in the world.


On the other hand, the Tamil homeland (Tamil Eelam), the North East of the island is much  bigger compared to many UN member states – Bahrain, Bhutan, Botswana, Iceland, Kuwait, Luxemburg, Maldives, Oman, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and many others.


“The Tigers do not accept anything short of a separate independent State. This is why there is a war going on”.


In January 1989, the LTTE formed a political party and named it the, “People’s Front of the Liberation Tigers (PFLT)”. On 12 August 1989, the PFLT representative attended the All Party Conference in Colombo as an “Observer”. Twenty-six political parties in Sri Lanka participated in the conference. The same year, PFLT was registered with the Election officials and the LTTE prepared itself to participate in the Elections to demonstrate the peoples’ support. 


However, the Sri Lankan government prevented the International Community from gaining awareness of the support that the LTTE has among the Tamils and deliberately started Eelam war-II. 


It is a shame for academics and diplomats to show such ignorance and to tell so many lies in international forums about the recent history of the island. Many highly significant factors such as; the Ceasefire Agreement, recent political negotiations, the LTTE proposal known as ‘Interim Self-Governing Authority (ISGA)’ and LTTE being a signatory to the ‘Post-Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS)’ , etc... have all been conveniently swept under the carpet.


“Rajiv Gandhi, former Indian Prime Minister was assassinated by LTTE in Tamil Nadu, in South India”. 


International Propagandists presume that by talking about Rajiv Gandhi, they can win the support of the Indian government. This is a myth and Indians are not ignorant diplomats.


The last official visit by Rajiv Gandhi to Sri Lanka, to sign the Indo-Lanka accord in 1987, was the most shameful incident for a State and a State Leader in the world. Is there any country in the world which tries to assassinate a visiting State leader, especially while the guard of honour was being given by a host country? On 30 July 1987, when the Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was inspecting the guard of honour given by the Sri Lankan Navy in Colombo, a Navy sailor struck Rajiv Gandhi forcefully with the butt of his unloaded gun attempting to assassinate him.  The propagandists appear to have forgotten this incident.


It was well known to the world that then Prime Minister Premadasa and the JVP were  behind this attempted assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and that the Naval officer who attacked Rajiv Gandhi became a political hero in Sri Lanka. This sailor was released under a general amnesty granted after Premadasa became President.


Citizens of India, the Indian government and countries with which India has friendly relations will not easily forget this attempted murder of their Prime Minister. Also they will not forget the anti-Indian activities and boycott of Rajiv Gandhi’s visit to Colombo by the then opposition which is presently in power in Sri Lanka.


In fact, the present government in power, especially the Sri Lanka Freedom Party to which President Mahinda Rajapaksa belongs, was totally against the Indo-Lanka accord signed in 1987. We cannot understand the murmured references to this accord, that these so called academics make, when addressing the international community.


“The Tigers kill our leaders, our elected representatives, our children. They terrorise our towns and threaten our territorial integrity”.  


A killing is a killing. All killings should be condemned and the culprits brought to justice. Being a government delegation and talking only about the killing of Sinhala political leaders, elected representatives and their children, clearly indicates to the International Community that they are making a distinction between two different peoples, and making reference to another region to which the government has no access. 


It is obvious that the propagandists are not concerned about the killing of Tamil political leaders, parliamentarians, children and civilians in the North East. Their omissions cannot be simply a slip of the tongue! 



Sri Lanka plays desperate and opportunist politics



In another desperate move by the propagandists, they tell lies, present gimmicks and also stage dramas as if they were Oscar winners. They have the means for travel and to entertain diplomats, they have control of media to disseminate propaganda, they can meet high profile people whenever they want, they can hold meetings as and when they want – so there are people who will listen to their lies and be taken in by their gimmicks. 


A few examples of their lies and gimmicks are given below.


To win the support of the ‘anti-imperialist’ states like China, Cuba, Russia and others, Sri Lanka pretends to be “anti-imperialist” but in reality it is not. 


Previously, the same propagandists used to write articles saying that Tamil and Singhalese should go beyond their differences and fight against American imperialism. Then at another stage, they turned round and wrote many articles saying that SRI LANKA SHOULD SEEK COLLABORATION WITH THE US AND CRUSH THE MILITARY POWER OF THE TAMILS. 


These are opportunistic, confused and indirectly even more racist than the Sinhala Chauvinists. These people are daily contributors to a racist English newspaper in Colombo.


We do not think that anti-imperialist states will have forgotten quickly the recent gimmicks of Sri Lanka. In 2006, in an election for membership in the UN Security Council, President Mahinda Rajapaksa promised personally to the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez that Sri Lanka would vote for Venezuela. When the election came they ignored Venezuela and President Chavez was totally disappointed with the behaviour of Sri Lanka.


To win the support of the USA, they become pro-American, but then ignored requests from the Americans and then dealt with Iran, Cuba and others. 


In a similar way to win the support of states belonging to the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), they become the saviour of Muslims in Sri Lanka. In reality the Muslims are suffering intensely at the hands of the paramilitaries supported by the government and its security forces in the East of Sri Lanka.


If the OIC countries want to know the real situation of the Muslims in Sri Lanka, they should send an OIC mission to Sri Lanka and allow them to travel on their own to the East and talk to the Muslims. Then the OIC countries will realise whether they should support Sri Lanka or not.


Another gimmick used by the propagandists is connected with Israel and Palestine. On one side they support Israel and on another side they talk about Palestinian independence and the sufferings of people. 


How can these propagandists talk about Palestinian independence while they want the Tamil struggle for the right to self-determination to be suppressed? This shows the desperation of Sri Lanka. 


Former President Jayewardene of Sri Lanka once said, “We are prepared to align ourselves with the devil of terrorism”.



Alitalia Boeing 747 hijacked  -  where is the hijacker?


Sri Lanka is no way qualified to talk about terrorism or the fight against it because this was the 1st country in the world which gave a hero’s welcome to the hijacker of an Alitalia Boeing 747 with 340 passengers on 30 June 1982. This plane was hijacked by one Sepala Ekanayake, a Singhalese from the down South of Sri Lanka while the aeroplane was between New Delhi and Tokyo. The plane was forced to land in Bangkok airport. After 35 hours of drama there, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Thailand personally came to the airport and assured Sepala that he could go to Sri Lanka without any fear.


Sri Lanka allowed him into the country, with 300,000 US dollars that the hijacker received as ransom from Alitalia. Sri Lanka took no action on this hijacker for several weeks, until international pressure was mounted. Also Sri Lanka turned down the request from the Italian government that the hijacker be handed over to them. 


Those who talk about terrorism in Sri Lanka should know what the International Community did to Libya when the Libyan authorities refused to return the suspects of the Lockerbie bombing of Pan American Flight-103 that took place on 21 December 1988.


This hijacker of Alitalia Boeing 747 is a strong supporter of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party and worked hard in Pollanaruwa, Anuradhapura and Matalan districts during the recent elections. 


These are the political leaders and politicians, who are talking today about “terrorism”, “fighting against terrorism” and “wiping out LTTE terrorism”. It is a real joke.



Sri Lankan tax payers’ money for luxurious  and lavish holidays!


Presently, Sri Lanka is wasting millions of rupees of tax payer’s money, on the “International Propagandists of the Sri Lanka Government”. This includes their frequent travel to New York, Geneva and many other cities in the world.  These propagandists are happy to question NGOs about who is funding their trips to foreign countries, without realising the fact that they themselves are having luxurious and lavish holidays paid for by the hard earned money of the Sri Lankan tax payers. In fact, the money spent by the NGOs is certainly not the Sri Lankan tax payers’ money.


There was a time when Sri Lanka was using the press releases of Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other organisations for their international propaganda against the LTTE. But, nowadays, Sri Lanka is criticising these organisations and publicly having arguments in international forums.


When the European Union placed a resolution against Sri Lanka in the very first session of the Human Rights Council, just to prevent this resolution, Sri Lanka suggested that it would accept a group of International Eminent Persons to supervise their Commissions of Inquiry. As was expected, this ended up in problems with the same Eminent Persons.


Now we understand that another set of Eminent Persons is being sought, to become, “His Masters Voice”. Civil society believes that no self-respecting eminent persons will agree to this.


Criticisms made of the government by members of civil society, journalists and parliamentarians in Sri Lanka are interpreted as ‘terrorist activities’ and they are charged under the draconian terrorist law.


The assassination of the courageous Chairperson of the North East Secretariat on Human Rights (NESOHR), Rev. Father M X Karunaratnam, by a Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) of the Sri Lanka Army on 20 April 2008, on the Mallaavi - Vavunikku'lam Road in Vanni, shows the scandalous and utter contempt that President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government has for Human Rights.



Sri Lankan problem needs right diagnoses


In the 7th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, on 5 March 2008, United Kingdom Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN - Lord Malloch Brown, said “In Sri Lanka, a country facing a substantial terrorist threat, unfortunately International concern has not made any impact. We condemn terrorism. But countering terrorism requires respect for human rights”. 


It is evident that the international community has taken action on the wrong party, who in fact, is not the problem. It is something like the medicine for a person suffering with high blood pressure, being given to another person who is not even ill. Obviously this action will do no good to either party – and may even do harm.


Therefore, at least now, the International community should realise the fact that the struggle for the right to self-determination of the Tamils is not terrorism, although it is falsely portrayed as such by the international propagandists of the Sri Lankan government.


We hope that at the earliest, the international community will treat the right patient with the right medicine. The patient may be a lunatic who refuses to accept anything, but it is not good to force someone to take medicine, who is not even ill.


Many feel that the recent action in the region of former Yugoslavia by the International community is the best action, because one can see similar symptoms in Sri Lanka.


HEAD OFFICE: 

Tamil Centre for Human Rights - TCHR/CTDH 

9, rue des Peupliers - 95140 Garge les Gonesse - FRANCE 

Contact person : S. V. Kirubaharan – General Secretary 

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TCHR-UK 

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Contact person : I. Chinniah

TCHR-SWITZERLAND

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Contact person : Thambirajah Genegatharan

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-----------

 

TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH

CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

(Established in 1990)

(UN accredited NGO to the World Summit on Information Society and the Warsaw Conference)

www.tchr.net

Ref : HR039/PR/2008                                                                           14 February 2008

 

Sri lankan rulers deliberately create

Political turmoil among the Tamils

 

Who prevents Muslims’ resettlement in Jaffna?

There is a long history of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in Sri Lanka – it goes back to the post independence era, around 1956.

 

Soon after Sinhala rule was introduced in Ceylon, (present Sri Lanka), two communal riots were carried out by the Singhalese against the Tamils, masterminded by the respective governments of the day. These two riots in 1956 and 1958 made Tamils as refugees in the South of the island. Because the victims of these two riots, although refugees, had not crossed any internationally recognised borders, International bodies like the United Nations considered them to be Internally Displaced People (IDPs). Since 1956 there have been five communal riots carried out with a clear agenda of ethnic cleansing. Tamils were killed, raped, disappeared and billions worth of their properties were looted and destroyed.

 

All these riots and atrocities have been well documented by the UN and many international human rights and humanitarian organisations.

 

The numbers of displaced Tamils during these communal riots are as follows :

 

Year                No. of refugees                                   Year    No. of refugees

1956                3000                                                    1958    35,000

1977                15000                                                  1981    5000

1983                250,000

 

The victims of these riots have never been compensated nor have they even been allowed to resettle in the places where they were living before the riots in the South of island. Soon after the worst communal riot in 1983, almost all the Tamils living in the South started escaping from the island, seeking protecting in many western countries. They received no compensation either for the loss of their properties or the loss of their kith and kin. The authorities responsible for refugees in many countries have evidence of these incidents.

 

Immediately after the 1983 communal riots, armed conflict started in the North East and this has produced many more thousands of, in fact, multiple displacements. Some of these people became displaced as a result of the divide and rule tactics applied by the Sri Lankan rulers to the Tamil community. In the North East mainly in Amparai, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Mannar and Jaffna – there have been multiple displacements of IDPs living in refugee camps for the last two decades.

 

Political turmoil

 

Consequent to the failure of 35 years of non-violent struggle in exercise of the right to self-determination of the Tamils, an armed struggle started in 1983. Since then the ruling powers always created a political turmoil among the Tamils, who had lived in peace and harmony for many centuries, irrespective of religious faith.

 

Even though there have been many calls by UN VIPs, international institutions/organisations and a Supreme court order (May 2006), IDPs remain in their camps, especially the Tamils denied any glimmer of hope of returning to their own residence or villages.

 

“At the end of 2006, at least 520,000 people in Sri Lanka were victims of conflict-induced displacement in a country of 20 million, making up one of the largest displacement crises in Asia in absolute terms and particularly in terms of the proportion of the population displaced. Upwards of 300,000 people were displaced in the offensive from 2006 onwards, with Tamil and Muslim minorities in the districts of Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Jaffna the most affected. Despite a major return programme initiated by the government in Batticaloa and Trincomalee in recent months, the number of conflict-induced internally displaced people (IDPs) in the country is estimated still to be around 460,000” (26 September 2007 – Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre – IDMC).

 

First racial riot in 1915

 

During the long history of the island there had never been blood stained stories among the Tamils. The very first racial riot in the island was in 1915. It was between the Sinhala Buddhists and the Muslims - 136 Muslims were killed and 205 Muslims were injured and raped. Nearly 85 mosques were damaged and more than 4,075 Muslim-owned shops were looted by the Sinhala rioters, from Central province to the Western and North Western provinces.

 

è    In January 1976, in Sinhala-Muslims riots in Puttalam, a Mosque at Pottuvil (Quela Mosque) was completely destroyed and 18 Muslims who assembled in another Mosque were shot dead by the Police in Puttalam.

 

è    In 1982, from 30 July to 4 August, Sinhala-Muslim riots broke out in Galle and then spread to Kandy, Mawanella and others parts, including Colombo.

 

è    In November 2002, Sinhala-Muslim riots took place in Chillaw. A group of Singhalese burnt down many houses belonging to Muslims and several people were severely injured in this incident. A Muslim refugee camp in Puttalam was also attacked and 75 Muslim families were forced to seek shelter in the nearby Mosque.

 

In Katugoda in Galle, a 22 year old Muslim youth was shot dead and several others were injured.

 

Muslims living in the North Eastern provinces were always part of Tamil political parties and even won in the post independence elections. The Mother tongue of the Muslims in the island of Sri Lanka is Tamil. This cannot be denied historically or legally. But these days, politically-motivated individuals come out with vague arguments depending on what their purpose is. Some sought to drive wedge among the Tamils.

 

Political turmoil among the Tamils and the Muslim was created only in the late 1980s when the government-motivated Muslim home guards, thugs and mercenaries intensified their attacks on the Tamils in the East, especially those in the Amparai district.

 

Tamils chased out of Amparai

 

In the 1990s, the Tamils who had been living in Amparai district for centuries were chased out by the government-motivated Muslims, especially from the villages of Samanthurai, Udumpankulam, Chemmanikulam, Thangavelauthapuram, Poorani, Kondavedduvan, Manthoddam, Karavagu, Theekavavi, Palamunai, Ooluvil, Meen Odai Kaddu, Panaamai and Ninthavoor. Many other villages are on the verge of becoming Muslim villages. Meanwhile many Saiva (Hindu) temples were destroyed and Mosques and butcheries were built on the same spot. Examples of this are : Kali Amman Temple at Karavagu in Kalmunai, Pillayar Kovil at Oddumavaddy, Kannaki Amman Temple at Karathivu, Kali Amman Temple at Sammanthurai. This was the case in Batticaloa and Trincomalee district.

 

It is common knowledge that the Muslims living in Jaffna were evacuated in 1990 and they were compelled to live in Puttalam. In fact, several times, the political advisor of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam - LTTE, the late Anton Balasingham, tendered their apology for this unpredicted and unexpected incident.

 

In 2002, when Anton Balasingam was speaking in a public meeting in Mullaitivu, he said, “Linguistically, economically and territorially the Muslims and the Tamils are inextricably inter-related and therefore they have to co-exist as brothers in the northeast. Let us forget and forgive the mistakes made in the past. Tamil Eelam is also the homeland of the Muslims and we have to live in harmony and amity to promote peace and prosperity in the region.” (Late Anton Balasingham, 03 April 2002 at Sivasubramaniam Maha Vidyalayam, Puthukuddirrupu in Mullaitivu)

 

Who prevents Muslims’ resettlement in Jaffna?

 

Since 1995, the LTTE has not been in control of Jaffna. If this is the case, what has been lacking and who is obstructing the resettlement in Jaffna of the Muslims in Puttalam? There are airports, harbours in Puttalam as well as in Jaffna and the land route, the A9 was opened for nearly four years. This is to say that the government of Sri Lanka prevented the Jaffna Muslims living in Puttalam, from being re-settled in Jaffna. For the last 18 years, the government of Sri Lanka wanted the Muslims to remain in Puttalam, without any fundamental rights, to serve a highly motivated international campaign against the LTTE, that the Muslims from Jaffna had been evacuated by the LTTE. In other words, they were using the Jaffna Muslims to justify the government Sinhalisation and ethnic cleansing of Tamils from the North East.

 

Last September, a TCHR representative raised the matter about the resettlement of Jaffna Muslims in a meeting held by the Sri Lankan Mission in Geneva. Four Sri Lankan Ministers - Mahinda Samarasinghe, Keheliya Rambukwella, Athauda Seneviratne and Douglas Devananda, who were on the panel, could not give a proper answer to the question of resettlement of Muslims in Jaffna. This was well witnessed by various diplomats and the representatives of international institutions. This briefing took place as a parallel event, during the 6th session of the UN Human Rights Council.

 

The displaced Muslims living in Puttalam are in temporary camps without any social, economic and political rights. The government, some NGOs and politically motivated individuals in Sri Lanka and abroad are silent about the day to day problems of these people. Just to get their allocated funds from their masters, these NGOs and individuals raise the issue of the Jaffna Muslims.

 

Even before the Jaffna Muslims moved to Puttalam, the Buddhist monks and Sri Lankan government were very careful with their political agenda that the Muslim population in Puttalam should not be allowed to spread to any other area within Puttalam. This is one of the reasons Jaffna Muslims are without any fundamental rights in Puttalam. It is a pity that those NGOs and others are either finding this issue too complex or are pretending to not understand the real problems of displaced Tamils in general.

 

Atrocities against the Muslims in Puttalam

 

In 1974 tension intensified between the Singhalese and Muslims in Mylumkulam in Puttalam. Government officials and the Police showed their partiality and supported the Singhalese.

 

In January 1976, as a consequence of the assault of a Muslim youth by a Singhalese bus driver (CTB), Sinhala-Muslims riots broke out in Puttalam. The Muslims in Sirampiaddy, Pottuvil and other villagers were severely attacked. A Mosque at Pottuvil (Quela Mosque) was completely destroyed and 18 Muslims who were assembled in another Mosque in Puttalam were shot dead. The Muslims working in the Cement Cooperation in Puttalam were attacked and no protection was given by the Police.

 

During this period, only members of the Federal Party raised this matter in the Sri Lankan Parliament.

 

In August 2006, a case was filed by some Singhalese against the purchase of 30 acres of land by Muslims in Palavi, Puttalam. This case was rejected by the Court. When the Muslims who were displaced from Jaffna, were moving onto this land, a group of Singhalese, led by a Buddhist monk, immediately chased them away violently, preventing them from settling in Palavi. On the same day they installed a statue of Buddha in that village.

 

Presently, Muslim farmers and fishermen in Amparai, Batticaloa and Trincomalee are facing similar problems.

 

Certain actors in Sri Lanka and abroad are making a good living by talking about the Jaffna Muslims. In practice, they are not really considering the facts and the historical background of the IDPs. While they speak about the Jaffna Muslims, they seem to ignore the fact that there are thousands of Tamils, who have been chased away from Amparai, Batticaloa and Trincomalee long before the Jaffna Muslims, and also ought to be resettled in their original homes.

 

The government of Sri Lanka is really taking advantage of the recent turmoil it has created among the Tamils.

 

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

 

In another divide and rule tactic practised by the Sri Lankan rulers - tensions and animosity have been created between the members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and the other Muslim population, often resulting in sporadic violence and killings in Sri Lanka. This has been intensified in recent years.

 

Since Mahinda Rajapaksa came to power, full swing Sinhalisation and ethnic cleansing has been rampant in the North East. Statues of Buddha are planted everywhere, the names of Tamil villages are renamed with Singhalese names and the Tamils and Muslims who lived for centuries in the North East are chased away over night, while the Singhalese are settled, according to an overt plan to change the demography of the North East.

 

Mandated silent genocide in the North East

 

What is happening presently in Amparai, Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Jaffna is a mandated silent genocide. Sri Lankan security forces, with the help of the paramilitary are wiping out those who are supporting the right to self-determination of Tamils, and Tamil-speaking youths are kidnapped and killed over-night.

 

In UN terms, ethnic cleansing is defined as, "a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic or religious group from certain geographic areas". (UN Doc S/1994/674, para. 130)

 

According to the think tank of the United Nations, ethnic cleansing constitutes a crime against humanity which could be compared to certain war crimes. These acts also fall within the ambit of the Genocide Convention. Ethnic cleansing has similar features to Apartheid and Nazism. The ethnic cleansing of Tamils from the Eastern part of Sri Lanka is well documented and in the recent past has been witnessed extensively by the International community.

 

Therefore the United Nations, which has the mandate and authority to investigate, prosecute and punish those who are criminally responsible for the ethnic cleansing, should start the process of investigating the ethnic cleansing of Tamils, in the East and especially in Trincomalee. This should be done at the earliest to bring to justice the higher authorities who ordered the ethnic cleansing and in the meantime to compensate the victims.

 

Simultaneously, around Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Jaffna and many other villages in the North East, there has also been mass settlement of Sinhalese.

 

The statistics are for the kind consideration of UN institutions, Experts in the field of human rights, members of civil society and others. The Tables are shown on language basis.

 

 

Tamil and Sinhala populations in Trincomalee District, Batticaloa District* (Until 1963 it includes Amparai within Batticaloa district) & Amparai District (created in 1963)

 

YEAR

Trincomalee District

Batticaloa District

Amparai District

 

Tamil

Sinhala

Tamil

Sinhala

Tamil

Sinhala

1827

98.45%

1.53%

99.62%

0.00%

---

---

1881

90.72%

4.21%

93.27%

4.75%

---

---

1891

91.44%

4.3%

93.2%

5.21%

---

---

1901

89.04%

4.22%

92.34%

5.21%

---

---

1911

90.54%

3.82%

92.95%

3.74%

---

---

1921

92.13%

4.38%

93.12%

4.56%

---

---

1946

75.09%

20.68%

92.55%

5.83%

---

---

1953

78.8%

18.22%

87.64%

11.52%

---

---

1963

79.25%

19.9%

95.6%*

3.35%

70.22%

29.34%

1971

70.2%

28.8%

94.49%

4.49%

69.47%

30.18%

1981

65.38%

33.62%

95.95%

3.21%

62.03%

37.64

(http://www.tchr.net/colanization.htm)

 

Excerpts are given for the consideration of researchers to see how the Sinhalisation is in progress in the North East, especially since President Mahinda Rajapaksa came into power.

 

Sinhalisation of East’

by M. I. M. Mohideen

 

The Island, 27 December 2007 - Facts and figures about population growth will help to illustrate how demography patterns have been unnaturally altered or distorted through state aided colonisation, demarcation of new political and administrative units and accelerated irrigation schemes in the Eastern Province.

 

                        Trincomalee    Batticaloa        Amparai          Eastern

                        District                        District                        District                        Province

 

Tamils             93,510             238,216           79,725             411,451

                        (39.78%)          (72.59%)          (20.57%)          (42.42%)

 

Muslims          74,403             79,317             116,481           315,201

                        (29.26%)          (24.17%)          (41.66%)          (32.49%)

 

Sinhalese        89,341             10,646             146,371           243,358

                        (33.96%)          (3.24%)            (37.77%)          (25.09%)

 

Total                245,250           328,170           387,577           978,010

 

 

The Eastern Province is 3,839 sq. miles in extent. Originally Trincomalee - 1,016 sq. miles and Batticaloa - 2,823 sq. miles were the districts in this province. According to the 1921 census, the Sinhalese were 3% of the population in the Trincomalee District and 4.5% in the combined Batticaloa and Amparai District. The Sinhalese were less than 4% in the whole Eastern Province.

 

The Batticaloa District was divided into the present Amparai District - 1,775 sq. miles and Batticaloa District - 1,048 sq. miles in 1961.

 

Population Increase between 1949 and 1981.

 

Tamil population increased from 136,059 to 411,451 - 302%, Muslim population increased from 109,024 to 315,201 - 289%, Sinhalese population increased from 27,556 to 243,358 - 883%. The National average increase of Sinhalese during this period is only 238%. The sudden increase of Sinhala population is the result of Government planned Sinhala Colonisation in Gal-oya, Pannal-oya, and Ambalam-oya in Amparai District, and Kanthalai, Allai, Morawewa, Muthalikkulam, Pathaviya (Part), and Mahadiuluwewa schemes in Trincomalee District. (Excerpt)

 

 

HEAD OFFICE:

Tamil Centre for Human Rights - TCHR/CTDH

9, rue des Peupliers - 95140 Garge les Gonesse - FRANCE

Contact person : S. V. Kirubaharan – General Secretary

Tel/Fax: + 33 1 42 67 54 36 - Email: tchrgs@hotmail.com / tchgs@tchr.net

TCHR-UK

Tamil Centre for Human Rights - TCHR/CTDH

PO Box 182, Manchester M16 8ED, UNITED KINGDOM

Contact person : Deirdre McConnell – Director International Programme

Fax: + 44 161 860 4609 - Email: tchrdip@hotmail.com / tchrdip@tchr.net

TCHR-NETHERLANDS

Tamil Centrum voor Mensenrechten- TCHR  

Stellingmolen 43  

1703 TE Heerhugowaard

THE NETHERLANDS

Contact person : I. Chinniah

TCHR-SWITZERLAND

Tamilen Zentrum fur Mensenrechten - TCHR

P. o. Box : 319

8172 – Niederglatt, SWITZERLAND

Contact person : Thambirajah Genegatharan

Email : tchrswitzerland@hotmail.com

 

 

----------

 

TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH

CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

(Established in 1990)

(UN accredited NGO to the World Summit on Information Society and the Warsaw Conference)

www.tchr.net

Ref : FG022/PR/2008                                                                           30 January 2008

 

Failed talks and unilaterally abrogated pacts of Sri Lanka

Bureaucrats and decision-makers in World bodies should know

actual and factual happenings and history of Sri Lanka

 

“Sanctions and negotiations can be very ineffective, and indeed foolish, unless the people you are talking with and negotiating with and trying to reach agreements with, are people who can be trusted to keep their word”. - Caspar Weinberger, Secretary of Defense from 21 January 1981, until 23 November 1987.

 

After their beginnings in the stone-age and barbarism, human beings became civilised and put faith in negotiations, agreements and accords between different races, ethnicities, religions, cultures and other diverse groupings in order to live in peace and harmony.

 

However, it is a pity that in Sri Lanka there is a trend backwards to the stone-age, where the opportunity to negotiate is totally opposed and a belief in full scale war and a military solution, has set in. In other words, blood thirsty killings of individuals and groups who oppose the government, are taking place over night. Civilised people must analyse this phenomena to understand what has actually been happening in this island since independence from the British in 1948.

 

Many bureaucrats and decision-makers working for world bodies and important institutions may find it easy and comfortable to talk about the human rights and humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka. But when its come to the question of the island’s history and to conflict resolution, many of them have very limited knowledge. For example, in October 2006, we members of TCHR had a meeting with a regional inter-governmental body. The person holding a top position in this body told us, that the MOU to work out a common approach in search of a political settlement to the ethnic conflict, was due to be signed between the two largest Sinhalese political parties (SLFP and UNP). According to her, this would make it easy for the government to deal with ethnic issue. We tried to tell this person that political packages, all party conferences and a SLFP-UNP agreement to find a common approach, are all to mislead the international community. This person was reluctant to believe us. We told her about the failed Band-Chelva pact, the Dudly-Chelva pact and also the Liam Fox agreement signed between the SLFP and the UNP on 4 April 1997. Immediately, without any hesitation, she became puzzled and asked, what is this new story, about a Liam Fox agreement? When we explained what it was, she admitted that she had never heard of it. As we predicted to her, the SLFP-UNP MOU signed on 12 October 2006, came to an end on 28 January 2007. In fact, this is part of a systematic pattern of tactics used by all Sri Lankan governments, when international pressure is applied, regarding the island’s bloody ethnic issue.

 

Devolution package drafted by the APC

 

The latest “All Party Conference - APC”, - drafted a devolution package and handed it over to the President on 23 January. This is yet another show game, replete with delay tactics, designed for the consumption of the international community. First, Mahinda Rajapaksa himself opposed the very provisions of the 13th amendment to the constitution in 1987, which he says, he is now going to revive. Second, even though known as an All Party Conference, apart from Sri Lanka Muslim Congress no other opposition party has participated in the discussion or consultation. Third, the Tamil National Alliance – TNA which represents, in the parliament, 21 MPs out of 22 in the whole of North East, was neither invited to participate nor agrees with its present proposal. Fourth, this proposed package has to be passed by a two third majority in parliament, to amend the constitution. In fact, the present government does not have a two third majority in the parliament. Fifth, twenty-one years ago the Tamils rejected the 13th amendment to the constitution as it fell far short of their political aspirations. Sixth, there cannot be any political solution to the North East, ignoring the LTTE, which is considered by the majority of the Tamils as their saviour. In conclusion, knowing these facts well, Sri Lanka is making yet another proposal to bide time and to fool the international community, while Sri Lanka attempts to win this war militarily.

 

On 16 January 2008, in a meeting held in the Grand Committee Room in the UK Parliament building, Dr. Raj Chandran of the UK Conservative Party stated that he is not a supporter of the LTTE, however, because of the LTTE, the Tamils today are able to walk with pride.

 

“...... There seems to have been a long period in which the Sri Lankan Government have employed delaying tactics....” Jeremy Corbyn, MP-UK said in the House of Commons on 17 January 2008

 

Those who know the history of Ceylon/Sri Lanka will agree that negotiations between Sri Lankan rulers (since 1948) - the government - and Tamil leaders, date back to 1927. This was when the Donoughmore commission announced its recommendations, negotiations in fact, between then Tamil leader Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan and then Sinhala leaders. It brought nothing good for the Tamils.

 

Failed talks and unilaterally abrogated pacts and accords

 

"The ‘truth’ is said to be the first casualty of war. The government has unlimited resources to carry out false propaganda, which the Liberation Fighters cannot match". (Excerpt from an article written by Nadodi in ‘Sangam’ December 4, 2007)

 

Under the so-called democracy in Sri Lanka, many talks have taken place but no durable solution has been found to the Tamil’s ethnic question. Here we quote some important ones:

Between 1927-1931, Sir Ramanathan had talks with Sinhala leaders when the Donoughmore Commission announced its recommendations in 1927. Talks brought no positive outcome, as the Sinhala leaders ignored the aspirations of the Tamils.

 

In 1957 when the Sinhala only act was introduced by then Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranayake, the talks between the Prime Minister and the leader of the Federal Party, Mr. S. J. V. Chelvanayagam took place, and an agreement known as the Banda-Chelva pact was signed. Then again in 1965, talks between the Prime Minister Dudley Senanayaka and the leader of Federal Party Mr. S. J. V. Chelvanayagam took place and an agreement known as the Dudley-Chelva pact was signed. These two pacts were unilaterally abrogated without any implementation by the Sinhala Prime Ministers.

 

In 1971 when the government was formulating the Republican constitution, the Tamil leaders of Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) had several rounds of talks with then Prime Minister Srimavo Bandaranayake on constitutional amendments. Eventually the republican constitution was passed in 1972, without the support of the Tamil parliamentarians from the major Tamil political party, the TULF.

 

The Sinhalese governments’ violent responses to the Tamil’s non-violent struggle and parliamentary demands, for nearly twenty five years; and plus discriminatory legislation in Education introduced in 1972 ("Standardisation") – and the "Republican Constitution” which denied fundamental rights to the Tamils - gave birth to Tamil militancy in 1972. But the armed struggle started only in 1983.

 

In July 1977,   the Tamil United Liberation Front - TULF, contested the general election in the North East and won overwhelmingly in the Parliamentary elections. Tamil people give them a mandate to establish the “Right to Self-determination” in the North East.

 

Between 1977-1982, the TULF leaders had several talks with then President J.R. Jayawardena but no meaningful political solution was reached. Soon afterwards, the worst island communal riots took place in July 1983, paving the way for the beginning of armed struggle in the North East – Eelam war I.

 

On 8 August 1983, J. R. Jeyawardena as the first executive president of Sri Lanka, enacted the 6th amendment to the constitution, rejecting the right to self-determination of the Tamil people in the island. This amendment outlawed the mandate voted by Tamils in the 1977 general election.

 

In 1985 Indian facilitated talks took place in Thimbu, the capital of Bhutan, between Tamil political activists including the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government. Two rounds of direct negotiations were held in July-August and on 17th September.

 

All Tamil parties worked out four cardinal principles as the basis for the negotiation with Sri Lankan government, known today as the “Thimpu principles”. The Sri Lankan government's reluctance to devolve powers and its refusal to recognise the Thimbu principles as the basis for the talk resulted in the abrupt and premature termination of the negotiation. The Thimbu principles are: recognition of the Tamils of Sri Lanka as a nation, recognition of the existence of an identified homeland (North East), recognition of the right of self determination of the Tamil nation and recognition of the right to citizenship and fundamental rights of all Tamils in Sri Lanka.

 

In November 1986, the talks between LTTE Leader Pirabaharan along with political advisor Anton Balasingham and President J. R. Jeyawardena took place through the mediation of the Indian Prime minister in Bangalore, India. But the talks ended in failure as J. R. Jeyawardena refused to recognise the right to self-determination and the homeland of the Tamils.

 

On 29 July 1987, a peace accord known as the “Indo-Lanka” pact was signed between Sri Lanka and India, under the guise of settling the Tamil ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka . Even though this pact aimed to bring an end to the island’s ethnic crisis, it failed to recognize the political reality of the Tamil Nation and it was signed, without any consultation with Tamils, nor the LTTE, the main party to the conflict. The Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Permuna – JVP (Peoples Liberation Front), vigorously opposed the “Indo-Lanka” pact and brought the whole of the South of Sri Lanka to a standstill by committing arson attacks on public transport and government buildings.

 

Under this accord, by a special decree of the Executive President of Sri Lanka, the merger of the North Eastern province took place on 8 September 1988. But, after exactly 18 years of this merger, the JVP filed a case in the Supreme Court, demanding the de-merging of these two provinces. The Supreme Court delivered its biased political decision on this case on 16 October 2006, stating that the merger of these two provinces by the then President was invalid. Once again another agreement/accord, in this case one that even had international status, was abrogated with the biased legal support of the Supreme court.

 

In January 1989, newly elected President Premadasa invited the LTTE for talks. While the talks were in progress, the LTTE formed a political party and named it, “People’s Front of the Liberation Tigers (PFLT)”. It was registered with the Election officials and the LTTE prepared itself to participate in the Elections to demonstrate the peoples’ support to the LTTE. Also the PFLT representative attended the All Party Conference as an “Observer” in Colombo on 12 August 1989, in which twenty six political parties in Sri Lanka participated.

 

To prevent the International Community from gaining awareness of the support that the LTTE has among the Tamils, the Sri Lankan government started Eelam war-II. Since no third party was involved in the talks, the government found it very easy to put the blame on the LTTE.

 

In August 1994, talks started between the LTTE and newly elected Prime Minister Chandrika Kumaratunge of People's Alliance who later won the Presidential elections in November of the same year. The government announced the lifting of the economic embargo to the Tamil region which had been enforced for many years. On 5 January 1995, the President Chandrika and the LTTE Leader V. Pirabahakaran signed an agreement for cessation of hostilities.

 

Like previous governments, Chandrika’s government was not interested in a negotiated political settlement, and the promise of lifting the Economic embargo dragged on and on. In the meantime the government prepared a military assault on the LTTE. In March, the LTTE gave a two-week ultimatum to the government urging implementation of what had been promised to the civilians, namely the lifting of the Economic embargo. This ultimatum was later extended by another three weeks until 19 April 1995. Still there was no response to the desperate humanitarian situation of the people. Talks ended in failure and Eelam War III started on 19 April 95. Later Chandrika’s government argued that there had never been an economic embargo in the Tamil region.

 

International facilitation

 

As a result of failed talks and the unilateral abrogation by the government Sri Lanka of so many pacts signed without a third party, the LTTE thereafter maintained the position that further talks and agreements should be only through internationally mediated facilitation and supervision.

 

On that basis, a CeaseFire Agreement - CFA (Memorandum of Understanding - MOU) was eventually signed on 21 February 2002 between the LTTE and government of Sri Lanka. This was facilitated by the Royal Norwegian government and several rounds of negotiations took place in Thailand, Norway, Germany, Japan, and Switzerland.

 

Even while Norway was a facilitator and the Nordic countries monitored the CFA, the Sri Lankan government failed to implement the CFA and the agreed outcomes of several rounds of peace talks. Many deliberate obstacles were created by the Sri Lankan military.

 

Despite the government’s reluctance to implement many of the clauses in the CFA – the LTTE, in order to respect the CFA and as an administrator of a de-facto state, worked out an interim solution known as the “Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA)” in November 2003. This was presented to the Sri Lanka government through the good offices of the Royal Norwegian government. The Sri Lankan President not only ignored this proposal but also sacked the government which had signed the CFA with the LTTE. It was the end of the ISGA and the government which came to power later refused to have any further talks, either on the ISGA or with the LTTE.

 

Many Tamil journalists, academics, parliamentarians, human rights activists and others in the North East were killed during the period when the CFA and the Monitoring Mission were in force.

 

Meanwhile, the devastating Tsunami struck the island and the North East parts were the most badly affected. With the aim of ensuring equal distribution of Tsunami aid to the worst affected North East, an agreement known as the Post Tsunami Operational Management Structure - PTOMS was signed between the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE.

 

A case was filed by the JVP against this Tsunami agreement – PTOMS. This case too, received a biased political judgement from the Supreme Court and it was made null and void.

 

Both cases, the demerger of the North Eastern province and the blocking of the PTOMS denied justice to the Tamils. This was witnessed by the international community. The judiciary in Sri Lanka is used by the Sinhala rulers, as a political tool, to support their discrimination against the Tamils.

 

Anyhow due to continous pressure from the International community, President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government agreed to have peace talks in Geneva which took place in February 2006. During the talks, the government of Sri Lanka agreed to abide by the ceasefire, including its clause 1.8, and disarm paramilitary groups operating in army-controlled areas.

 

However, when the 2nd round of talks took place in Geneva in October 2006, the talks failed, as the government of Sri Lanka had not implemented what had been agreed in the first round of Geneva talks. The international community, especially Norway and Switzerland witnessed this at close hand.

 

Since Mahinda Rajapaksa became the President, more than 5000 people have been killed and horrendous human rights violations have been reported in North East and other parts.

 

The Chief negotiator of the LTTE, S. P. Thamilselvan who took part in many of the talks was killed in an aerial bombing by the Sri Lanka Airforce on 2 November 2007. The Sri Lankan Military Commander openly stated his intention to eliminate the LTTE, by killing at least ten cadres each day. The Sri Lankan military, the President, Defence Secretary, Cabinet Ministers, political parties which are in alliance with the ruling party and many Buddhist monks are intent on eliminating the LTTE, which is a signatory to the CFA and party to the conflict.

 

The international community was alarmed by the horrendous human rights violations in Sri Lanka. During the very first session of the UN Human Rights Council in June 2006, a resolution was tabled by Finland on behalf of the European Union, against Sri Lanka. The country (Sri Lanka) which made the bogus claim of being one of the “founders” of the Human Rights Council, was ashamed that a resolution had been tabled against it, in the opening session itself. This resolution is still on hold for a debate in the Human Rights Council.

 

In fact, within the terminology of the United Nations – forums, committees, conferences, etc do not have “founders”. Such matters are decided by the votes of all 192 member countries. However, one cannot blame the Sri Lanka representatives, because many of them do not know the functions of the United Nations and its mechanisms.

No surprise to the Tamils that CFA was withdrawn

 

While this was going on in the UN Human Rights Council, members of President Rajapaksa’s coalition – the Janatha Vimuki Peramuna - JVP and Buddhist-monk led Jathika Hela Urumaya - JHU, along with the Sinhala Jathika Sangamaya - SJS challenged the Cease Fire Agreement - CFA in the Appeal Court, alleging that it violated Sri Lanka’s constitution.

 

On 6 March 2007, the Appeal Court rejected the petition by JVP, JHU and SJS. But these parties re-appealed to the Supreme Court. The case hearing has been fixed for 10 March 2008.

 

The international community may not be aware that all these actions are calculated staged dramas of the Sinhala Buddhist Chauvinist forces backed by the Sri Lanka government. It came as no surprise to the Tamils, that on 3 January 2008, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama officially conveyed in writing to the Norwegian Ambassador Tore Hattrem in Colombo, that the Government of Sri Lanka would withdraw from the CFA.

 

This move is designed purely to ensure survival of the parliamentary majority until the end of the present period. President Rajapaksa’s government cannot have the parliamentary majority without fulfilling the demands of the JVP and the JHU.

 

Mr. Andrew Love (Labour MP for Edmonton) said in the UK Parliament on 2 May 2007 (1607) - “........... The first concerns the drift back to war that has been going on for some time. Almost immediately after the ceasefire agreement in 2002, despite six rounds of talks that seemed to be very positive — the LTTE discussed prisoner exchanges and was going to drop the idea of an independent state — by 2003 the LTTE had pulled out, suggesting that it had been sidelined. That resulted in a serious loss of momentum.” (Excerpt)

 

“........... it was the Sri Lankan Government who unilaterally abrogated the ceasefire agreement in January this year?” Barry Gardiner, Minister & MP-UK said in the House of Commons on 17 January 2008. (Excerpt)

 

“.......... it was unfortunate that the Sri Lankan Government abrogated the peace agreement unilaterally, and I had a discussion with the high commissioner this morning in which I made that very point. Mr. Clifton-Brown, MP-UK said in the House of Commons on 17 January 2008. (Excerpt)

 

 

“The SLMM will close its operation at 1900 hrs today.” (Lars J Solvberg, Major General, Head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, Colombo, 16 January 2008 - excerpt)

The UN Secretary General, the EU and many countries around the world were shocked and disappointed by the announcement of the Sri Lanka government. Some countries were even ashamed because they had believed all the lies told by Sri Lanka about the ethnic conflict and had supplied arms and ammunitions to Sri Lanka. Also they had turned a blind eye to the horrendous human rights records of Sri Lanka. But Tamils who have known and experienced the attitude and behaviour of the government of Sri Lanka over decades were not astonished by this decision. In fact, Tamils may be relieved that the international community could at last see the true colours of the Sri Lankan rulers, and understand the broken promises of the last sixty years.

 

Denial of fundamental rights in the name of sovereignty and democracy

“I have to say that without international adjudication and verification, the Sri Lankan Government will not be regarded as acceptable. I understand the arguments about sovereignty, but if they are trying to win credibility in the world after 30 years of civil war, the UN must be represented in the country and able to go about its business there. The Sri Lankan Government must change their view on that.” Simon Hughes, MP-UK said in the House of Commons on 17 January 2008. (Excerpt)

Bureaucrats and decision-makers in world bodies, inter-governmental regional bodies and other important actors should be aware of Sri Lanka, clothed in its own style of democracy. To quote a few examples:

 

(1)            The national flag of the post independence Ceylon has only a symbol of Sinhala Lion carrying a sword with bo-leaves at the four corners of the flag. These represents the Sinhala race, Buddhism and the lion's tail signified the eight-fold path of Buddhism. After many protests, two vertical stripes – orange and green were inserted to mark the Tamils and Muslims in the flag.

 

(2)        Under the Citizenship Act passed on 15 November 1948, nearly a million Plantation Tamils, (brought by the British from South India to work in the plantations in 1862) who had voted in the 1947 elections were deprived of their citizenship and their right to vote, reducing the proportion of Tamil representation in the Sri Lankan parliament.

 

(3)        Under 60 years of state-sponsored Sinhala colonisation in the Tamil homeland (North and East), Sinhala governments and their destructive agents have plundered and robbed 50% of the ancestral land of the Tamils. This was to deliberately change the demography of the Tamil homeland.

 

(4)        Sinhala was made the official language of the country in 1956 and made as a compulsory language for the Tamils.

 

(5)        Five anti-Tamil programs (1956, 1958, 1977, 1981, and 1983), unleashed by various Sri Lankan governments, Sinhala extremist groups and thugs, ruined the socio-economic and the political rights of the Tamil people. Thousands of Tamils were massacred, burnt or hacked to death, women were raped and millions of rupees worth of properties belonging to the Tamils were looted and destroyed. Until today, no proper investigation nor any compensation was paid to the victims.

 

(6)        In 1972, state discrimination against Tamil students' admission to Universities reached the peak with the introduction of "Standardisation". University admission based on merit was abandoned deliberately to stop Tamil students entering Universities.

 

(7)        In 1972, the "Republican Constitution" was introduced and the Tamils lost even the minimum protection that they had under the Soulbury constitution of 1947.

 

(8)        In 1978, another new constitution was enacted, introducing an Executive Presidency system and promoting Buddhism as the country’s foremost religion.

 

Sri Lanka's Constitution of 1978 - Chapter II Buddhism , Article 9, says "The Republic of Sri Lanka shall give to Buddhism the foremost place and accordingly it shall be the duty of the State to protect and foster the Buddha Sasana,…….."

 

(9)        In July 1979, the government enacted the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), along with the Emergency Regulations (ER). Emergency rule has become the norm - for more than 36 years since independence.

 

(10)      In June 1981 the Jaffna Public Library, one of biggest library in South Asia, was burnt down by the Sri Lankan armed forces - 95,000 volumes of books including numerous culturally important and irreplaceable manuscripts and the buildings were totally destroyed by arson.

 

(11)      In 1998, the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances stated that, "Sri Lanka had the second highest number of disappearances in the world, ranking next to Iraq". Also Sri Lanka is the only country that the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances has visited several times. So far no proper remedies have been found for these disappearances.

 

In 2007, Sri Lanka was ranked as the country, with the third highest number of journalists killed during that year, after Iraq and Somalia. (Press Emblem Campaign monitoring system)

 

Can the Tamils expect justice from this government?

 

In Sri Lanka, if the Minister of Labour Mr. Mervyn Silva could walk into the Canadian High Commission with a pistol in his hand to demand a visa for his son (September 2007), and who could assault a news editor of the state owned Rupawahini cooperation for not to broadcasting his speech (December 2007) - and still remain as a cabinet minister with impunity, what justice can the Tamils expect from this government?

 

When Tamil civilians are killed or massacred by the Sri Lanka security forces, either the international community remains silent or even if they issue a mild statement, they accuse both parties to the conflict. When there is any accusation against the LTTE, the reaction of the international community is always very strong and the opportunity is taken to praise the government for its feeble efforts. This itself is an unbalanced approach by the international community to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka.

 

So far the Tamils have voted in thirteen general elections and five presidential elections with the hope of living in peace and harmony with the Sinhalese. But day by day, generation by generation, the Tamils have been oppressed and ignored by the Sinhala rulers. Tamils hear only justifications of the atrocities and negative responses to their genuine grievances.

 

13 General Elections :                                               

1947, 1952, 1956, 1960 March, 1960 July, 1965, 1970, 1977, 1989, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2004

 

5 Presidential Elections :                              

1982, 1988, 1994, 1999, 2005

 

“Having chosen to end the ceasefire arrangement, the Sri Lankan Government have a clear responsibility to live up to their commitment to address the grievances of the Tamil people.” Dr. Kim Howells, Minister for the Middle East-UK said in the House of Commons on 17 January 2008. (Excerpt)

 

A well known Sinhalese historian, late Mr. Adrian Wijemanne once told me, "why negotiate over what is yours? I am a Sinhalese Nationalist as much as you are a Tami Nationalist. I must have my Sri Lanka and you, your Eelam. The two countries should sign a friendship pact, and I should be able to visit you in Jaffna and you should be able to visit me in Colombo." (Excerpt from an article written by by Nadodi in ‘Sangam’ December 4, 2007)

 

During recent years, many new states have eventually been born in the world because of obdurate and persistent denial of justice and equality. From Bangladesh to Kosovo, it has been proved that continuous rejection of a just redress for horrendous human rights violations and failure to accept the history and realities, makes a path for international intervention. The Tamil Eelam conflict is no different to Kosovo or any other newly born state. Those who support, advocate and go hand in hand with Kosovo, cannot ignore the Tamil Eelam crisis.

 

It is the right time for the International Community to give a fair judgement concerning the Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka.

 

HEAD OFFICE:

Tamil Centre for Human Rights - TCHR/CTDH

9, rue des Peupliers - 95140 Garge les Gonesse - FRANCE

Contact person : S. V. Kirubaharan – General Secretary

Tel/Fax: + 33 1 42 67 54 36 - Email: tchrgs@hotmail.com / tchgs@tchr.net

TCHR-UK

Tamil Centre for Human Rights - TCHR/CTDH

PO Box 182, Manchester M16 8ED, UNITED KINGDOM

Contact person : Deirdre McConnell – Director International Programme

Fax: + 44 161 860 4609 - Email: tchrdip@hotmail.com / tchrdip@tchr.net

TCHR-NETHERLANDS

Tamil Centrum voor Mensenrechten- TCHR  

Stellingmolen 43  

1703 TE Heerhugowaard

THE NETHERLANDS

Contact person : I. Chinniah

TCHR-SWITZERLAND

Tamilen Zentrum fur Mensenrechten - TCHR

P. o. Box : 319

8172 – Niederglatt, SWITZERLAND

Contact person : Thambirajah Genegatharan

Email : tchrswitzerland@hotmail.com

 

---------------------------

TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH

CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

(Established in 1990)

(UN accredited NGO to the World Summit on Information Society and the Warsaw Conference)

www.tchr.net

Ref : BD012/PR/2008                                                                           9 January 2008

 

 

List of HR defender

 

 

Paramilitary groups are given licence

by President Rajapaksa to kill anyone who opposes them!

 

Mr. Thiyagarajah Maheswaran who escaped an assassination attempt on the final day of the election campaign in March 2004, was shot dead on new year’s day, 1st January 2008. Maheswaran was killed by so called unknown gunmen when he went to pray in the morning with his family at Ponnambala Vaneasvarar temple, near St. Anthony’s church at Kochchikkadai in Colombo.

 

Mr. Thiyagarajah Maheswaran was a Colombo district parliamentarian of the opposition United National Party – UNP and former Hindu Affairs Minister.

 

Maheswaran’s assassination took place a few hours after he had told media in Colombo that he would reveal details in Parliament of how the Sri Lankan government carries out abductions and killings in Jaffna through the EPDP paramilitary. Days before his assassination the government of Sri Lanka had reduced Maheswaran’s security, provided to him as parliamentarian, from eighteen personnel to only two.

 

“Meanwhile, President's Counsel, M. L. N. Ameen looking after the interests of the Maheswaran family at the magisterial inquiry had submitted to court that investigations should also include the information emerging from the final interviews given by the slain MP, particularly to the Minnal programme on Shakti TV and an interview with Lanka-e-News where he had been severely critical of the EPDP and vowed to divulge vital information on January 8 when parliament meets, of those responsible for the spate of abductions and killings in the northern peninsula”. (excerpt from ‘The Sunday Leader’ of 6 January 2008)

 

TCHR strongly condemns the killing of Mr Maheswaran and requests civil society to work hard to pressurise Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government to bring the culprits to justice.

 

In Sri Lanka death threats and killings of Human rights defenders is nothing new!

 

Those who raise their voice against state terrorism, to protect human rights, are assassinated either by the Sri Lankan military intelligence or by the paramilitary forces which work closely with them.

 

Mr Mano Ganeshan, leader of Western People’s Front – WPF, and a member of Parliament for Colombo district, speaks openly against the atrocities of the security forces and the paramilitary groups and has faced death threats. He has temporarily left the country for his safety to India on 30th of last month. Mr Mano Ganeshan is the president of Democratic Worker’s Congress and Convener of the Civil Monitoring Committee. Last December, he was awarded with "Freedom Defender's Award" by the U.S. Government.

 

On 10 November 2006, lawyer, Jaffna district parliamentarian and a member of the Civil Monitoring Committee, Mr. Nadarajah Raviraj was assassinated by so called unknown gunmen in the capital Colombo.

 

Raviraj had spoken openly and strongly against the atrocities committed by the Sri Lankan security forces. He never hesitated to speak out against the paramilitaries as well.

 

A week before his assassination, during the parliament session, Raviraj also had criticised Devananda Douglas, leader of a paramilitary group known as the EPDP. Douglas is a Minister in the present cabinet of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Many in the Parliament, including the speaker, witnessed the heated argument and within a few days Raviraj was assassinated by so called unknown gunmen.

 

During the last Presidential election in Sri Lanka, in 2005, an English news paper, the ‘Daily Mirror’ in Colombo, contacted veteran human rights defender and parliamentarian the late Joseph Pararajasingham, for his comments on Rajapaksa's move against the Tamils during the presidential election. Being the leader of the parliamentary group of the Tamil National Alliance – TNA, Pararajasingham said, ‘’……we can say the Prime Minister is beating war drums by agreeing with the JVP……’’

 

As soon as Joseph Pararajasingham’s comment was published in the Daily Mirror, then Prime Minister Rajapaksa (present President) telephoned Pararajasingham’s home in Colombo and argued with him demanding that he withdraw the published statement. As a man of principle, Pararajasingham refused Rajapaksa's demand and the disappointed Rajapaksa concluded his phone call saying that, ‘’……once the presidential election is over, you will see my true colours’’.

 

On 19 November 2005, Mahinda Rajapaksa became the President of Sri Lanka. On 24 December 2005, Mr Pararajasingham was assassinated inside St Mary’s Cathedral by so called unknown gunman while he and his wife were participating in the midnight Christmas Eve mass in their home town Batticaloa. Even though there were hundreds of eye witnesses to this assassination and the killers names were personally given by TNA parliamentarians to President Rajapaksa, until today nothing has happened to bring the culprits to justice!

 

A Criminal Lawyer and the President of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress who participated in the sessions of the Geneva based UN Commission on Human Rights, Mr. Kumar Ponnambalam, was assassinated on 5th January 2000 in Colombo at Wellawatta by so called unknown gunman. Mr Ponnambalam defended thousands of Tamils and Sinhalese youths, over many years, who suffered gross and systematic violations of human rights at the hands of the Sri Lankan government security forces. Mr Ponnambalam defended several cases charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act – (PTA).

 

Mr. Kumar Ponnambalam exposed the fallacies in Sri Lankan President Chandrika's interview to the South African Television in 1998. In this TV interview, President Chandrika Kumaratunga had said : "They are wanting a separate state - the minority Tamils who are not the original habitants of the country".                                                            

A few days before his assassination, Kumar Ponnambalam, wrote an open letter to President Chandrika Kumaratunga. He wrote “......They (Tamils) have, for far too long, looked to peace packages, negotiating tables and anything offered or dished out by the Sinhalese. This beggarly attitude must go. The sooner it goes, the better it is for the Tamils”. (excerpt from the open letter written by Kumar Ponnambalam on 23 December 1999)

 

Eight years have passed since the assassination of Kumar Ponnambalam but until today no progress has been made in the investigations, despite many clues about the culprits of this cold blooded murder. Although there have been many statements by the Police investigators that the killers have been identified, these statements are considered to be routine “Eye wash”, given to the outside world by the investigators and the government.

 

On 19th October 2000, Mylvaganam Nirmalarajan, well-known BBC journalist and the secretary of the Northern Journalists’ Association was assassinated by EPDP cadres for bravely reporting to the media about the vote rigging, intimidation and violence carried out by the EPDP in Jaffna during the elections in 2000.

 

Days before his killing, Nirmalarajan had confided with colleagues that he had received death-threats from the paramilitary group EPDP, which had contested parliamentary elections, and assists the Sri Lankan government’s security forces in the peninsula.


There is strong evidence to prove that EPDP cadres carried out the assassination of Mr Nirmalarajan. His suspected assassin is known as Napoleon.
He has fled the country with the help of the Sri Lankan government and is leading a peaceful life in the United Kingdom. Napoleon who worked closely with the Sri Lanka Navy in Jaffna, is believed to have escaped from Sri Lanka using a Sri Lankan diplomatic passport!

 

Many international organisations such as Reporters Without Borders have raised the matter of Napoleon with the President, Prime Minister, Defence Secretary and many others in Sri Lanka, but their words have fallen on deaf ears.

 

Until today none of the many killings have been properly investigated nor have the culprits been brought to justice. The killing of Human rights defenders continues with impunity in Sri Lanka.

 

It is the pattern in Sri Lanka, when either the members of the Sri Lankan security forces or the paramilitary forces are involved in a killing, no proper investigations are carried out and the culprit of that killing enjoys impunity and is allowed to carry out further killings.

 

This is the law and order and the judicial system that one finds in Sri Lankan democracy. Those who talk about democracy in Sri Lanka should be outraged by and ashamed of these killings.

 

Further to what is happening in Sri Lanka itself, the Sri Lanka intelligence service, the National Intelligence Bureau – NIB, the members of the Paramilitary and the members of the JVP have intensified their activities on the Tamil diaspora and others who are active on the human rights and humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan embassies, with the help of paramilitary members in foreign counties, (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland, United Kingdom, USA and Nordic countries) have special personnel monitoring individuals and their activities. In the recent past many intelligence officials have even attended sessions of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. For example the last session in September was attended by Nimal Kulatunga, CID Director of the Sri Lankan Police.

 

All this, raises doubts about the intentions of the Sri Lankan intelligence service in foreign countries.

 

 

 

HEAD OFFICE:                                                                                                                                      TCHR-SWITZERLAND

Tamil Centre for Human Rights - TCHR/CTDH                                                                                 Tamilen Zentrum fur Mensenrechten - TCHR

9, rue des Peupliers - 95140 Garge les Gonesse - FRANCE                                                              P. o. Box : 319, 8172 Niederglatt, Switzerland

Contact person : S. V. Kirubaharan – General Secretary                                                                 Contact person : Thambirajah Genegatharan

Tel/Fax: + 33 1 42 67 54 36 - Email: tchrgs@hotmail.com / tchgs@tchr.net                                    Email : tchrswitzerland@hotmail.com

TCHR-UK                                                                                                                                               TCHR-NETHERLANDS

Tamil Centre for Human Rights - TCHR/CTDH                                                                                 Tamil Centrum voor Mensenrechten- TCHR  

PO Box 182, Manchester M16 8ED, UNITED KINGDOM                                                                  1703 TE Heerhugowaard, The Netherlands

Contact person : Deirdre McConnell – Director International Programme                                    Contact person : I. Chinniah

Fax: + 44 161 860 4609 - Email: tchrdip@hotmail.com / tchrdip@tchr.net

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH

CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

(Established in 1990)

            Ref : BD012/PR/20089                                                                                                January 2008

 

Salient killings of Human Rights Defenders

by the Security forces and paramilitary since 2000

(Academics, Lawyers, Parliamentarians, Journalists, Media workers, Humanitarian workers, Social workers,

religious dignitaries, lay persons and others)

 

Name                                                                           Place of incident         Date                 Killers

 

Mr Kumar Ponnambalam                                              Colombo                      05/01/2000      SL Military

Leading Lawyer – President Council                                                                                        Intelligence

 

Mr. Kumaravel Thambaiah                                            Batticaloa                     24/05/2004      Karuna

Senior lecturer in the Eastern University                                                                                               group

 

Aiyathurai Nadesan      - Journalist                                Batticaloa                     31/05/2004      Karuna

                                                                                                                                                group

Varatharaja Kurukkal Harihara Sarma   - Priest             Jaffna                          14/11/2004      EPDP

 

Mr. Ariyanayagam Chandra Nehru-                               Welikanda,                   07/02/2005      Karuna

ex-Parliamentarian                                                       Polanaruwa                                          group

 

Dharmaratnam Sivaram            - Journalist                               Colombo                      28/04/2005      Paramilitary

 

Sabanatha Sarma - Priest                                           Jaffna                          14/09/2005      SL Military

                                 

K Navarathnam            - Media workers                                                Jaffna                          22/12/2005      EPDP

 

Mr Joseph Pararajasingham –                                      St Mary's Cathedral      25/12/2005      Karuna

Parliamentarian                                                                        Batticaloa                                             group

 

Mr. Thambiah Tharmasiri (Humanitarian worker)                        Jaffna                          11/01/2006      EPDP

Mr. Narayanamoorthy Kandeepan        -do-                  Jaffna                                      11/01/2006      EPDP

 

Mr. Charles Huston Ravindran (Humanitarian worker)    Jaffna                          15/11/2006      EPDP

 

Subramaniyam Sugirdharajan (SSR) - Journalist                       Trincomalee                 24/01/2006      EPDP

 

Mr. Kasinathar Ganeshalingam            (Humanitarian worker)   Welikanda                    29/01/2006      Karuna

                                                                                                                                                group

Mr. Thangarasa Karthirkamar   (Humanitarian worker)   Welikanda                      29/01/2006    -do
Ms Thanushkodi Premini          (Humanitarian worker)   Welikanda                   
30/01/2006      -do

Mr. Thamiraja Vasantharajan    (Humanitarian worker)  Welikanda                      30/01/2006    -do

Mr. Shanmuganathan Sujendran(Humanitarian worker)            Welikanda                    30/01/2006      -do

Mr. Kailyapillai Ravinthiran        (Humanitarian worker)   Welikanda                      30/01/2006    -do

Mr. Arunesara Satheeskaran    (Humanitarian worker)   Welikanda                       30/01/2006   -do

 

Mr. Gunaratnam Logithas (Humanitarian worker)                      Jaffna                          04/02/2006      EPDP

 

Mr Vanniasingham Vigneswaran                                  Trincomalee                 07/04/2006      EPDP

(intended to replace the late Mr Pararajasingham,MP)

 

Mr. P Shanmugaratnam (Humanitarian worker)             Jaffna                          10/04/2006      EPDP

Mr. S Pradeepkumar (Humanitarian worker)              Jaffna                          10/04/2006      EPDP

 

Suresh Kumar  ) Media workers                                   Jaffna                          02/05/2006      EPDP

Ranitha Kumar )

 

Ven. Nanda Rathan - Buddhist monk                           Trincomalee                 13/05/2006      EPDP

 

Jeyaruban Gnanapragasam  (Humanitarian worker)     Vavuniya                      15/05/2006      SL Military

                                                                                                                                                Inteligence

 

 

 

Name                                                                           Place of incident         Date                 Killers

 

Mr. Ratnam Ratnarajah (Humanitarian worker)              Batticaloa                     26/05/2006      Karuna

                                                                                                                                                group

Venkata Krishna Sharma - Priest                                  Jaffna                          26/05/2006      EPDP

 

Mr. Krishnapillai Kamalanathan(Humanitarian worker)   Welikanda                    02/07/2006      Karuna

                                                                                                                                                Group

 

Mr. Rasiah Muraleeswaran(Humanitarian worker)          Jaffna                          08/07/2006     EPDP

 

Mariathas Manojanraj - Media worker                            Jaffna                          24/07/2006      EPDP

 

Pon. Ganeshamoorthy                                                 Kankesanturai, Jaffna  04/08/2006      EPDP

General Manager of Peoples Bank

 

Mr. Primus Anandarajah           (Humanitarian workers)            Muttur, Trincomalee      04/08/2006      SL Military

                                                                                                                                                Inteligence

Mr. Matahavarasa Ketheeswaran –do-                         Muttur, Trincomalee      04/08/2006      -do-

Mr. G. Sreethraran                   –do-                            Muttur, Trincomalee      04/08/2006      -do-

Mr. Narmathan                         –do-                             Muttur, Trincomalee      04/08/2006      -do-

Mr. R. Arulraj                            –do-                             Muttur, Trincomalee      04/08/2006      -do-

Mr. P.Pratheeban                     –do-                             Muttur, Trincomalee      04/08/2006      -do-

Mr. M. Rishikeshan                   –do-                             Muttur, Trincomalee      04/08/2006      -do-

Mr. Y Kodeeswaran                  –do-                             Muttur, Trincomalee      04/08/2006      -do-

Ms. K.Kovarthani                      –do-                             Muttur, Trincomalee      04/08/2006      -do-

Ms. S.Romila                            –do-                             Muttur, Trincomalee      04/08/2006      -do-

Ms. V.Kokilavathani                  –do-                             Muttur, Trincomalee      04/08/2006      -do-

Ms. G. Kavitha                         –do-                             Muttur, Trincomalee      04/08/2006      -do-

Mr. S. Ganesh                          –do-                             Muttur, Trincomalee      04/08/2006      -do-
Mr. Abdul Latif Mohamed Jauffer –do-                         
Muttur, Trincomalee     
04/08/2006      -do-
Mr. A. Jaseelan                                    –do-                            
Muttur, Trincomalee     
04/08/2006      -do-
Mr. K. Koneshwaran                 –do-                            
Muttur, Trincomalee     
04/08/2006      -do-
Mr. Muraleetharan                    –do-                            
Muttur, Trincomalee     
04/08/2006      -do-

 

Sathasivam Baskaran- Media worker                            Jaffna                          15/08/2006      EPDP

 

Mr S Sivamaharajah – ex-Parliamentarian & Media worker         Jaffna                          20/08/2006      EPDP

 

Nagarasa Thavaranjitham   (Humanitarian worker)        Vavuniya                      20/08/2006      SL Military

                                                                                                                                                Inteligence

 

Rev Fr. T. Nihal Jimbrown                                             Allapiddy-Jaffna                       20/08/2006      EPDP

 

W Winsan Vimalathas                                                   Allapiddy-Jaffna                       20/08/2006      EPDP

Fr Nihal Jimbrown's helper

 

Mr. P. Jestly Julian   (Humanitarian worker)                   Amparai                       24/08/2006      Karuna

                                                                                                                                                Group

 

Mr Ragunathan Ramalingam  (Humanitarian worker)     Trincomalee                 11/09/2006        EPDP        

 

Dr. Bala Sugamar                                                         Batticaloa                     30/09/2006      Karuna

Dean, Arts Faculty– Eastern University                                                                         group

 

Mr Nadarajah Raviraj – Parliamentarian                                    Colombo                                  10/11/2006      EPDP

 

Prof. S Raveendranath                                                            Colombo                      15/12/2006      Karuna

Vice-Chancellor, Eastern University, Batticaloa                                                                         group

 

Mr. Subramaniam Parameswaran (Humanitarian worker)           Jaffna                          04/01/2007      EPDP

 

Mr. C. Rajendran (Humanitarian worker)                                    Jaffna                          09/01/2007      EPDP

 

Selliah Parameshwaram – Priest                                  Batticaloa                     07/02/2007      SL Military

Inteligence

Mr. Nagarasa Narenthiran (Humanitarian worker)          Jaffna                          09/02/2007      EPDP

 

Name                                                                           Place of incident         Date                 Killers

 

Pastor Victor Emmanuel Yogarajan                              Negombo                     01/03/2007      SL Military

along with his two sons and a friend                                                                                         Inteligence

 

Subramaniam Ramachandran – Journalist                   Jaffna                          22/03/2007      EPDP

 

Mr. Muthuraja Aruleswaran(Humanitarian worker)          Welikanda                    24/03/2007      Karuna

Group

 

Selvarajah Rajivarman – Journalist                               Jaffna                          29/04/2007      EPDP

 

Ratnasabapathy Aiyar Somaskantha – Priest               Velanai, Jaffna                         30/04/2007      EPDP

 

Mr. Sinnarajah Shanmuganathan(Humanitarian worker)           Jaffna                                      01/06/2007      EPDP

Mr. Karthigesu Chandramohan (Humanitarian worker)  Jaffna                                      01/06/2007      EPDP

Mr. Sivarasa Vimalarasa (Humanitarian worker)             Jaffna                                      19/06/2007      EPDP

 

Mr. Arumainayagam Alloysius (Humanitarian worker)     Jaffna                          23/07/2007      EPDP

 

Sahathevan Nilakshan– Trainee Journalist                   Jaffna                          02/08/2007      EPDP

                                                                       

Mohamed Z. Mohamed Rizvi (Humanitarian worker)      Trincomalee                 06/08/2007      EPDP

 

Mawlawi Rafeek                                                           Amparai                       11/08/2007      Karuna

Muslim religious leader                                                                                                             group

 

S. Thiyagachandra       (Social worker)                         Batticaloa                     20/08/2007      Karuna

Group

 

Sivasamy Sritharan      (Humanitarian worker)               Jaffna                          20/08/2007      EPDP

 

Thilaiampalam Paramalingam(Social worker)                 Batticaloa                     02/09/2007      Karuna

                                                                                                                                                Group

 

Rev.Fr. Nicholaspillai Packiyaranjit                                Mannar                                    26/09/2007      SL Military

                                                                                                                                                Inteligence

 

Sivaguru Panchalingam           (Social worker)                          Jaffna                          21/10/2007      EPDP

 

Sebamalai Kristi Jeyanthan(Social worker)                    Jaffna                          23/10/2007      SL Military

                                                                                                                                                Inteligence

 

Kanagarajah Pratheepan(Social worker)                                  Jaffna                          26/10/2007      EPDP

 

Shanmuganathan Pakeerathanathan                          Jaffna                          28/10/2007      EPDP

(Humanitarian worker)

 

Vadivelu Nirmalaraj       Media worker                            Jaffna                          16/11/2007      EPDP

 

Thangarajah Sujeevan (Humanitarian worker)               Jaffna                          17/11/2007      EPDP

 

 

Subramaniasharma Ketheswara Kurukkal – Priest        Jaffna                          17/11/2007      EPDP

 

Mr. Thiyagarajah Maheswaran                                      Colombo                      01/01/2008      EPDP  

Parliamentarian           

 

Parasuraman Nanthakumar – Trade Unionist               Batticaloa                     07/01/2008      Karuna

group

 

(many more to be included)

 

 TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH - CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

France

 

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