For Immediate Release
13 August 2015
With Sri Lanka Elections a few days away, what are the options for the Tamil people? Since 1948 Tamil people in the island have used their vote to provide clear messages on what they want. But this democratic system has failed the people again and again. Naturally, the psyche of the Tamil Nation has lost hope in the democratic process.

Nonetheless it is important to continue the struggle for our rights in whatever avenues are open to us. This elections are not the same as the last in 2010, there is need for change. During last year’s Presidential elections Tamils were given two choices, Mahinda Rajapaksa and Maithripala Sirisena. Both of them are heavily complicit in the massacre of Tamil people in May 2009, where we lost between 70,000 to 100,000 within a few days.

The difference is Rajapaksa’s closeness with the Chinese Government and alienation of the local power India and the Western countries. Sirisena provided more balanced relationship with China, India and the Western countries. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) wanted the Tamil population to support Sirisena as they said that’s the only way to remove the Sri Lankan Army presence from North and East and also get people’s lands back.

However, what did we witness when Sirisena came in to power? Almost no difference in the situation in NorthEast, the heavy Army presence is still there, the lands are not returned to the Tamil people and discrimination and marginalisation is still continuing for the Tamil people. It is true that TNA was supported by the Liberation of Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) prior to 2009.

But the TNA we had at that time is starkly different to the TNA we have now. When TNA moved away from what the Tamil people have always stood for as a solution, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam walked away from TNA. At the moment we have a TNA, who have even before any negotiations with the Lankan government take place, given away the right for self-determination and the concept of a Tamil Nation. They are also not asking for an international investigation into the war crimes, and refused to use the widely accepted term Genocide as what has and is happening to the Tamil people. The list goes on.

A small, but good example of what TNA is standing for was witnessed by some of us in New Zealand and Australia. Earlier this year, Asia Pacific Green Congress was held in Wellington, New Zealand. For this the New Zealand Green Party’s MP Catherine Delahunty brought a strong resolution about the Tamil issue to be passed. This resolution accepted the right of Tamil people for self-determination and called for an international investigation into the genocide against the Tamil people and also called for an internationally monitored referendum to see what the Tamil people living in the island of Sri Lanka and the diaspora Tamils wanted. This was opposed by the Green Party of Australia.

When this was discussed with a former Australian Green Senator, it was clear that when TNA’s Sumanthiran and Global Tamil Forum’s (GTF) Suren visited them they had asked not to call for an international investigation into Sri Lanka and also have opposed the idea of an independent referendum ₁. While we Tamils back home and internationally, have one clear desire which seems further to us than ever before, we need to ask a few questions to ourselves? What would have happened if Tamil people’s vote wouldn’t have made Sirisena win? The West used his victory to stop putting pressure on the Lankan government. Does any Tamil person think that this One Sri Lanka will work for the Tamils? Haven’t we learnt anything?.

The other choice that we have is Gajendrakumar Ponnamblam’s Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF), who is standing for two Nations as the permanent solution. TNPF has some great candidates, who have worked within the grass roots and are in touch with reality.

They have a clear ideas on what they want to do going forward. If you have not read the manifesto of TNPF, please do read₂. It is very clear on their stance. The reason that you have heard a lot more about what TNA is doing, is not because they are doing good for the Tamil people, but because they control most of the Tamil news media in Sri Lanka which only gives coverage for TNA (for example TNA MP E. Saranavabavan is the Managing Director of the most popular Tamil daily ‘Uthayan’). The Sri Lankan government’s news media also supports TNA and gives them more prominence, because they are working with and for the Sri Lankan Government and not for the aspirations of the Tamils.

Some may worry there is a risk of splitting the Tamil vote, but it is important to have true representatives of Tamil aspirations in parliament. If the TNA fails to win their seats they will try represent the Tamil people’s interest instead of representing other countries.

Only reason any MP should go to the Parliament is to represent the people who voted them in. Make a clear stance. Let TNA know that they need to earn your vote.

The best way to do that is to vote TNPF this coming elections. Make your vote count, vote for the cycle symbol.

 

National Council of New Zealand Tamils
ncnzt@live.com

https://www.facebook.com/NCNZT

Contact Person: Dhaya Haran Mobile Phone: +64 21 342 921

 

 

₁ – http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=37809 ₂ – http://www.tamilnet.com/img/publish/2015/08/V.2-TNPF_Election_Manifesto-2015.pdf

We welcome any genuine efforts by the international community to stop the genocide of Eelam Tamils. In this respect, five representatives of the ICET, representing 14 countries, along with representatives of the TGTE, BTF, and USTPAC were officially invited by the South African political delegation to meet with them on May 25, 2015 in London, UK. It should be noted that the Global Tamil Forum, representing individuals, met with the South African delegation separately on the same day.

 

 

The meeting was framed as a preliminary discussion on the modalities that must be fulfilled before any official meetings to negotiate can begin. The aim was to appraise the South African delegation of their role, facilitating conditions that must be fulfilled on the ground, and the modalities of potential negotiations under South African auspices.

At the meeting, it became apparent that the South African delegation, based on their own experience of oppression and how they attained eventual freedom, expected that a political solution to our conflict could be found through an internal mechanism.

However, our delegation clearly explained the differences between their struggle against a racial oppression and our national liberation struggle against genocide. Only the freedom of our homeland, recognition of our nationhood, and self-rule will bring lasting peace in the island.

We the ICET through our six decades of experience of numerous abrogated pacts made between the Eelam Tamils and the Sinhalese political leaders clearly explained that internal negotiation will not yield any long lasting solution to the conflict. Successive Sinhalese governments have only used and continue to use such negotiations as a ploy to buy time to complete the genocide of the Eelam Tamil Nation.

Based on the above, the ICET wanted to explore the possibility of internationally mediated peace talks only under a pre-condition of normalcy on the ground is attained due to the implementation of the following confidence building measures implemented by the Government of Sri Lanka in good faith.

The ICET enumerated the 17 pre-conditions (i.e. taking into consideration the Northern Provincial Councils Genocide Resolution, international independent investigation of the Tamil genocide, de-militarization of the Tamil homeland, return of all the lands forcibly taken away from Eelam Tamils, repealing of the 6th amendment, release of all political prisoners held without any charges for decades) for an internationally mediated peace negotiations to begin the international community should ensure the implementation. It was also reiterated that any political solution should be based on the Vaddukkoddai Resolution being reaffirmed through a referendum of Eelam Tamils both within and outside the Eelam Tamil homeland.

In the backdrop of numerous rumours circulating surrounding this meeting, as the true international representatives of the Eelam Tamils entrusted with fulfilling their aspirations and political will, we are duty bound to release this clarification to show our openness and accountability to our people.

International Council of Eelam Tamils

The Global Tamil Forum (GTF) circulated an email publicizing an interview by Dr. Ramanan (Panchakulasingam Kandiah) to the Deepam TV about the secret meeting in London with the representatives of the Government of Sri Lanka organized by the In Transformation Initiative (ITI) an NGO from South Africa. That email falsely claimed Dr. Ramanan (Panchakulasingam Kandiah) as a representative of the ICET. This is a deception calculated to mislead the Eelam Tamil diaspora and the ICET strongly objects to such tactics. The Norwegian Council of Eelam Tamils (NCET), a member organization of ICET, also confirmed that Dr. Ramanan (Panchakulasingam Kandiah) did not participate as a representative of the NCET.

Many of the National Councils who participated in the inaugural meeting of the GTF have severed their ties with the GTF due to its lack of democracy and accountability as well as its support for the unitary state in Sri Lanka contrary to the mandate given by the people. Most of the National Councils in Europe had pulled out of the GTF including the Norwegian Council of Eelam Tamils, Danish Council of Eelam Tamils, and the Malaysian Tamils Forum this year. However, the GTF continues to display the logos of these organizations on its website despite their strong objection to do so. This only reinforces the insidious stance of the GTF to mislead the people.

The ICET was formed in 2011 with representatives from 14 countries based on the reaffirmation vote on the Vaddukkoddai Resolution for the creation of an independent Tamil Eelam. Therefore, the ICET categorically denies any meeting with the Government of Sri Lanka. The GoSL’s claim about meeting the Tamil Diaspora is only with the GTF run by a few individuals in an undemocratic manner. In addition, the recent statement by Fr. Emmanuel, President of the GTF, urging the Tamils to appreciate the crumbs falling from the hands of the new President of Sri Lanka makes us believe that he is giving his blessings to the new regime by condoning a government guilty of genocide. We categorically deny any meetings with the GoSL.

The secret meeting organized in London, UK, by the In Transformation Initiative (ITI) is another attempt after the Swiss-funded Bergeof Foundation meeting to explore a power sharing arrangement. The deception perpetrated by the GTF and a few individuals of the TNA at the Bergeof Foundation meeting was stopped by other representatives from the ICET, Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF), Tamil Civil Society, and the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE). As a result, the In Transformation Initiative (ITI) in London excluded those who truly advanced the Eelam Tamil aspirations at the Bergeof Foundation meeting.

In the news release about the ITI organized meetings with representatives of the Government of Sri Lanka issued by Messrs. Surendran and Sumanthiran, their claim to represent ‘Sri Lankan Diaspora’ only reinforces their stance for solution within a unitary Sri Lanka.

We therefore strongly condemn the GTF, consisting of a few individuals, for its attempt to weaken the legitimate Tamil Nations’ aspirations, and for its attempt to protect war criminals from international prosecution.

International Council of Eelam Tamils (ICET)