My meeting with Jan recently has led to this short interview where Jan shares her thoughts on the IIFA event and the broad responsibility that we all share for exposing the human rights violations happening around us.

Q) You contested for the London region in the 2009 European Parliamentary elections. You did not win, however got record votes among all independent candidates. So how do you personally take the results.

Jan: I was happy with the results. The decision to stand was a spontaneous one that arose largely out of the need to highlight the genocide of the Tamil people taking place in Sri Lanka, which was being largely ignored by the main political parties here. I think the very act of participating on those terms in the European election has changed the dynamics of how politicians engage with the different Diaspora communities here in the UK.

It is a tribute to the British people that I was able to make this kind of impact on the European elections on what is, in our local politics, a niche issue.

But getting those 50 000 plus votes in London has also placed some responsibility on me going forward to continue to speak about those issues that were key to my European election campaign.

Q) What is your opinion about the upcoming Indian Film festival event (by IIFA) being held in Colombo, Sri Lanka? [Do you have any word for those who chose to participate?]

Jan: I think it is disappointing. I saw a quote today on twitter by Somalian Musician K’naan Warsame that really spoke to me. He said: “There is an intrinsic difference between entertainers & artists. Artists endure the pain of the world, entertainers dance around it”

I cannot help comparing the IIFA response to the murder of over 40 000 Tamil civilians in the first six months of 2009 with the response of artists like M.I.A who have abstracted the genocide issue (in for example the Born Free video) so as to communicate the essence of it to people who have no knowledge of specific places like Sri Lanka or Srebenica or Nazi Europe. The ability to capture the essence of things and to react to the world around us is a sign of true art.

Pretending these massacres did not happen, refusing to talk about it and partying on is also a message of disrespect to the fans and viewers because it implies the entertainers concerned think their fans are stupid or unethical or both.

And pretending that the IIFA cares for the IDPs is also cynical manipulation. If they cared for the IDPs these artists could have asked to visit the IDP camps.  Why are the concerts and events being held in Colombo ? There are no IDP camps in Colombo while there are plenty of government officials who are accused of war crimes there to be entertained.

If the IIFA were interested in aid, they could at any time have set up an independently monitored body to provide that aid and monitor its distribution – they dont need to have a party in Colombo for that.

This criticism also applies to IIFA sponsors such as Reebok: that they are manipulating us by pretending that the genocide in Sri Lanka did not happen.

The facts about the massacre in the Vanni region of Sri Lanka are not all known because the Sri Lankan government tries to hide them. But enough is now known so that it is impossible to say later ‘I did not know’. People living in Germany in the time of the Nazis also tried to say later that they didn’t know. But 60 years later history catches up and we have documentation. The Nazi regime also had propagandist film makers and entertainers. And I am very confident that the history will document the Tamil holocaust also. What we know already today is captured in the reports of the International Crisis Group and Human Rights Watch but this will prove to be a subset of the true extent of atrocities.

The International crisis group report that is available today documents for example that civilians were deliberately starved to death, killed by bombarding of hospitals, and food distribution centres, that they were forced into a small piece of land as a deliberate strategy of the government so that they could be more efficiently killed. It can be found here [http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/asia/south-asia/sri-lanka.aspx]. These acts meet the definition of genocide as it is understood by many academics and lawyers today.

Do I have any word for the film stars who are going to colombo to celebrate the events of 2009 ? No I do not. But I do have something to say to their fans: it is up to you to decide what kind of people you want as your film icons. Your choice of film stars that you are fans of also says something about India to the rest of the world. I think the Indian people and especially the people of Tamil Nadu who are emotionally closest to this issue should “put their money where their mouth is” and boycott films or products of anyone participating or sponsoring  the IIFA event in Colombo.

Q) You attended the Tamil genocidal remembrance rally in Washington DC recently. How different this rally compared with previous years protest and boycott Sri Lankan products rally?

Jan: Yes, I recall you were covering that event as a journalist. The difference is very simply that this is a national memorial event. Every nation has one or more memorial days. Today for example in the United States it is memorial weekend. So it is not a protest as such. It is a part of our national memory. What is particularly poignant about the Tamil memorial days is that the community and the families of those who died are increasingly not able to have memorial structures in the original location because a very deliberate effort is being made to erase memory of the Tamil people and that includes the graveyards. In that sense the burning of the Jaffna library was also a form of erasing of memory because of the historical significance of the original manuscripts destroyed.

But we have to consider ourselves lucky in that the Tamil Diaspora is now far too widely spread out across the globe, for anyone to tell us what we may or may not remember. So any attempt to erase history will fail. And I also see the IIFA event as an attempt to erase memory – to write an alternative history and to party on, and to utilize these big name entertainers for this purpose of pretending that Sri Lanka is not stained with the blood of the Vanni civilians who were killed in their tens of thousands by the host government.

‘Our people in Srilanka have lost everything. But still we are just talking with ourselves. We allege our political parties. Whereas the fact is that we all have committed mistakes.

Tamils in Srilanka are now placed in existential emptiness. Therefore to help them we have to think differently. Tamils do not need heroes to help them. A small group is enough. We need a right approach and a sense of responsibility.

We have been comprehensively defeated in Srilanka. I accepted LTTE because of one reason that they tried to address the problems of Tamils. LTTE is not the root cause of this problem. It was only the Sinhala majoritarian racism. The society of Ealem Tamils has been a Saiva Tamil society (vegetarian). The tightness and adamancy of Sinhala racism created LTTE. At one stage the military prowess of LTTE was the bargaining strategy for Tamils. Therefore I accepted LTTE.

Ealem Tamils still have a right to start armed struggle again. Because, democracy have failed them. United Nations, Human rights organisations all have failed them. Now they do not have even food and shelter. What can we do for them?

1. Memory is the crucial component of Justice. We will not forget it. Do you think that we will forget everything and look forward for future? No. It was a genocide. War crimes have been committed. 10 years or 100 years or 1000 years. We will not forget it. We will remember this until Justice is awarded. Every year we will commemorate this event.

Innocent people have suffered in this war. They were denied food and water. Infants and mothers were killed. If 40000 people can be killed in four months how can we forget it?

In India we practice a liberal democracy. But we have been a party to this crime. We have a responsibility to set it right. This ( Indian) Government is our Government. We can raise our voice against our Government ( If they go wrong)

2.Access has become a greatest impediment to Justice. 11,000 young people are imprisoned in Srilanka . We cannot hear or see them. No one is thinking about a minimum demand of bringing them under international laws for trial. How to create access to those young Tamils? How to get entry into the Rajapakshe’s colombo fort? How the world can create such access? That is a challenge.

3.One year has passed after the end of war. But Rehabilitation and Reconstruction works are not enough. It is a shame that 10 crore Tamils all over the world cannot help rehabilitate at least 1000 Tamil families in Srilanka. Instead we are accusing each other as traitors.

We cannot go to beg Colombo for this. We need to find a route for engaging the concerned for rehabilitation. Suppose there had been a ceasefire and LTTE had went for discussion with Colombo in the last phase of the recent war, would it be proper to call LTTE as traitors? If we have to defend our children we have to approach the enemy too. Can anyone say what happened to hundreds of crores of rupees granted by India for rehabilitation? We have to ask for joint mechanism for rehabilitation. If we do not think in such a realistic way we cannot save the rest of survivors.

4.The Ealem war has killed 37000 fighters and 1.5 lakh civilians. The people there wish they should be at least left alone now. Their political ambitions have been crushed.

During the cold war, the fighters for freedom could take any one side and get support. But in unipolar world, terrorism is addressed as a main political philosophy. Under such circumstance, Sinhalese have effectively used the democratic institutions. We have no minimum program to utilise democratic instruments. We have to approach even the people we don’t like. The political animals shall never reform. Cho Ramasamy and Suramanyam swamy do not constitute our world. There are people among us who do not know the background of the Ealem problem. We need a process of engaging even such ordinary people.

5.We have to understand the fact that the Indian foreign policy framed in 1980s remains unchanged for united Srilanka. But we can expect that one day Ealem may be awarded even without a demand.

Afgahanistan has become a playground of USA,Europian Union, Russia, Pakistan, China and India. This is an example that a country which allows competition among super powers in its soil shall ruin. Srlanka too cannot be happy for too long. They have recruited two lakh people in Army from their 100 lakh population. They will become a criminal force and kill themselves. After allowing China, Pakistan, India and giving scope for USA, EU, Sinhalese cannot live in peace.

History shall return for Tamils. Sinhalese cannot escape after committing so much of atrocities.

6. The necessity to achieve Ealem exists. The rights for land, language and federal political solutions cannot be achieved at one go. We have to work hard to achieve them. Let our anger is kept inside. At now we have to gather as a group exhibiting Virtues.”

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Jegath Gaspar Raj is a Catholic priest currently residing in Chennai, India. His academic qualifications include bachelor degrees in History, Philosophy, Theology and Masters in Political Science, and Strategic Studies. He served as an international broadcast journalist for seven years, co-founded the Chennai Sangamam, played the pivotal role in the making of “Thiruvasagam in Symphonic Oratorio”; co-founded “Give Life” project, was the chief architect of “Give Life Marg Chennai Marathon”.

Fr. Jegath Gaspar Raj is a staunch democrat with fervent faith in the ideals of freedom, equity and fairness. He fiercely resists every form of fundamentalism and believes very much in dialogue between religions and cultures. Through international radio he reunited around 4600 SriLankan Tamil families who were disintegrated by the civil war between 1996-2000. This he considers the best he has done so far in his life.

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Fr. Jegath Gaspar Raj declares the following in his website http://www.jegathgasper.com/

No one would seek unpopularity. In the Indian context, particularly among the English speaking community, taking a stand on the side of the suffering Tamil brothers of Srilanka does not reward one politically, socially or financially. Anyone speaking for the people is branded here as propagandist of LTTE. Acutely aware of the consequences I have decided to offer my voice to those voiceless victims of genocide perpetrated by the politico-military junta – the Rajapakse brothers. I pray that my country men, as true children of a great civilization will courageously raise their voice against the immoral, undermocratic foreign policy of India that has substantially contributed to the genocide of our Tamil brethren in srilanka. This nation belongs to a billion people, not just to some politicians and bureaucrats.

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Being an Indian and having lived as neighbors to Sri Lankan Tamils who migrated to Chennai, India and having heard, read and written about Sri Lanka it wasn’t as  hard for me to appreciate the statement at the very first viewing. I think it rather makes me feel ashamed for being able to interpret the message with ease. Most in Asia are all too familiar with such things – I can say. For those who know little about MIA – her family escaped from Sri Lanka to UK amidst the civil war.

MIA has accurately conveyed the ANGER of Tamils from Sri Lanka. An anger shared by many similar minorities across the world. An anger at the world citizens for not understanding their most basic desire to live in dignity. Yes Mr America – it is a political statement – a genuine one, an angry one to say LOUD to Amercians that you don’t have the brains to spot a genocide even when it happens in broad day light in front of your eyes. And more so you dont have the guts to even call it “genocide”. There are red heads, so that for few minutes you can sense how it would feel if your children were subjected to the terror of genocide.

If you want to know the real inspiration behind “Born Free” google “Sri Lanka Execution Video”. This original contains nudity and violence aswell, but is more intense even without the music.

Its a loud cry to the smarty pants Mr President Obama, who at the outset appeared to be intelligent enough to differentiate “war on terror” and genocide, but turned out to be someone who cannot even tell between civil and criminal law.

Its a loud message to all those who cried for the one Sep 11 in 2001 but were playing for a hole-in-one on par-5 course on all the other Sep 11′s since then across the world  - Sri Lanka being just one among them.

[Contains Nudity and Extreme Violence. Not suitable for minors]
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/11219730[/vimeo]

As part of the BoycottSrilanka committee’s initiative of hosting periodic “Boycott Sri Lanka Rally” in major international cities, Tamil Americans of Delaware Valley Region (Delaware, Pennsylvania and South Jersey) organized a rally in Philadelphia, on Saturday, March 20th, from 11AM – 3PM in front of Victoria’s Secret, 1721, Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19103.

[nggallery id=1]

Organizers expressed that the protest has raised awareness among large number of  shoppers and residents from downtown Philadelphia. Being the first day of spring – adds extra thrills to the shoppers and Philly residents spend more time outdoor and had the opportunity to participate in the protest. Fliers explaining the grave humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka was circulated. Organizers mention that Shoppers and local residents showed great interest in understanding the situation in Sri Lanka and shared their empathy towards to the suffering Tamil civilians of Sri Lanka.

Several Americans of different ethnicity joined the “Independence Bell City” today to send a strong message to the oppressive Sri Lankan regime to adhere to world democratic norms and also respect press freedom.

Boycott Sri Lanka had also recently released their third part in its video series – “No Blood For Panties”. This video series is part of a boycott campaign facilitated by new media to educate consumers about the state-sponsored violence against Sri Lanka’s Tamil population. This series is unique in its use of sexuality to illustrate that consumerism supporting corrupt actions, such as the genocide of Tamils, is anything but sexy.

“Boycott Sri Lanka is very excited about its release of the video series” says group representative Anjali Manivannan. ‘This video series allows us to reach Americans who might otherwise be unaware of the repercussions of their consumer habits.

“Sri Lanka uses tax revenue from the textile industry to oppress Tamil civilians and detain them in IDP internment camps” explained Manivannan. ‘No Blood For Panties sends the powerful message that buying ‘Made in Sri Lanka’ items and supporting state-sponsored human rights violations is not sexy. It sends the message that being a conscious consumer is where true sexiness is.’

http://www.boycottsrilanka.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=25&Itemid=27

Boycott Sri Lanka representative Dr. Ellyn Shander says

“This episode is the perfect ending: Victoria finally realizes the impact of her consumerism on Sri Lankan Tamils and begins boycotting underwear manufactured there”

“We hope that our viewers are moved by this message: while our actions have repercussions, a simple change in habit can bring relief to Sri Lanka’s suffering Tamils. This series beautifully conveys that while many of us are initially Victorias–uninformed but potentially concerned–all of us can educate ourselves and transform into knowledgeable consumers like Victoria does in the videos.”

According to Michael O’Rourke, who directed the series:

“Boycott Sri Lanka’s ultimate goal is to inform consumers about the Sri Lankan governments’ habitual disenfranchisement of Tamils. No Blood For Panties achieves this goal through an engaging storyline and the dynamic character of Victoria. At first uninformed about Sri Lanka and uninterested in the human rights violations occurring on the island, Victoria learns more about the situation when she discovers how important the issue is to her boyfriend, Reggie”. The couple’s relationship is greatly strained when Reggie sees ‘Made in Sri Lanka’ on Victoria’s underwear. Victoria doesn’t understand why her underwear label is so important to Reggie and begins learning about Sri Lanka to save her relationship. The video series concludes when Victoria herself becomes a consumer of conscience. She informs other women about the consequences of their consumerism and encourages them to join her, check the label, and boycott cloths that are made in Sri Lanka.

Due to Sri Lankan government-imposed media restrictions, many Americans are unable to grasp the gravity of the Tamil people’s plight in Sri Lanka. The light-hearted video series and periodic protest have a serious purpose, the organizers noted.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1UUvkxKiZ0[/youtube]

Sarath Fonseka and Rajapakse who are due to be prosecuted before the international court of Justice for war crimes are contesting he presidential election in Srilanka

Srilanka is an island where the two distinct nationalities exist, Tamils in the north and east, the original inhibitants of the Island and the Sinhalese in the west and south the migrants from Orissa India.

Tamils and Sinhalese were at war for many centuries to control or expand their traditional homeland. This must be the oldest ethnic conflict in the world history which remains unresolved. There was a battle between Tamil king Ellara and Sinhalese king Duttagamini in the year 145 BC. The pre colonial wars between the Tamil and Sinhalese kingdoms are well recorded in the history. Those were the times when no international rules on war, human rights and universal justice were evolved and the defeated party became slaves and prisoners of wars.

Only in the last century the Europeans unified the country and left the island after handing over the Sovereignty of Tamils in the hands of majority Sinhalese in 1948. That was the time when the United Nations was established, but the charters on the Sovereignty and rights of nationalities in different geographical regions were not yet fully explored in the process of establishing a new world order after the second world war.

Immediately after obtaining independence from the British, the Sinhalese took advantage of majoritarian authority in the parliamentary democracy and resorted to discrimination of Tamils. Through systematic colonization by the Sinhalese in the east, the Tamils became minorities in their own homeland. The Sinhalese politicians were free to enforce their own constitutional amendments later, to change to Executive Presidential system of Election and Governance only to restrict the voice of Tamils in the Parliament.

Sinhalese mob humiliate and torture Tamil Man in 1983 riots

In the later part of the last century the Sinhalese  began to claim the whole island as belonging to them against which the Tamils engaged with a peaceful struggle to reclaim their rights. But the armed struggle of Tamils intensified after the massacre of thousands of Tamils by Sinhalese thugs in a Sinhalese state sponsored riot in 1983. The culprits of that state sponsored terrorism of 1983 are not yet punished.

At present, the armed struggle of Tamils for freedom has suffered a set back at the hands of a brutal Sinhalese army due to the genocidal war with no rules and witness. The Tamils have silenced their guns temporarily only to avoid further calamities.

This war has claimed more than 70000 lives – mostly Tamils and has scattered lakhs of Tamil population as refugees to India and distant lands. In the final assault of the Sri Lankan army 20,000 innocent people were massacred in a single day in 2009. At present about 300,000 Tamils are restricted in concentration camps in Sri Lanka still facing the excesses of military including sexual abuse on women and children.

This is the worst humanitarian tragedy of the new millennia which the world has turned a blind eye due to the planned blocking of access to the international agencies and media into the area of conflict. Even after the unilateral declaration of the end of war by the winning party, the whole of Srilanka is under undeclared military rule with no press freedom and freedom of movement. The extra judicial killings, abductions and atrocities on woman and children continue under the authoritarian rule of Mr.Rajapakse and his family . But slowly the world is seeing through inhuman and uncivilized activities of the state of Sri Lanka and is taking steps to bring this rogue state in to the ambit of agreed rules and conventions of international order to reestablish civilization in Srilanka.

Injured people in the Srilankan Genocide 2009

Under these circumstances, Srilanka goes to Presidential election on January 26, 2010. The incumbent President Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse is fighting against his erstwhile friend and former army chief Mr.Sarath Fonseka. Both are asking for votes not for any progressive action they have performed. Each one of the candidates claims the sole responsibility for defeating LTTE, the minority Tamil rebels who fought a war of freedom against the undemocratic rule of majority Sinhalese. It is the division of the victors, among the Sinhalese in the so called war on terrorism and not the devolution of powers to Tamils that dominates this election. Therefore the election has no meaning to the Sri Lankan Tamils.

Both candidates wish to show that they have killed the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabakaran who was running a rebel Tamil government in the north and east of the island. Mr Prabakaran was dominating the war until the active interference of India and China favoring the Lankan army in a strategic competition to control the sea routes in Indian Ocean to protect their economic interests and investments.

Mr Rajapakse and Mr.Sarath Fonseka both share common ideas against the nationhood of Tamils. Both consider Sri Lanka as one nation enforcing a Sinhalese only policy, and are involved in a concerted propaganda of lies, whereas history has recorded two nations in one island.

In his first address to Parliament in 2005, Mr Rajapakse unequivocally mentioned :

“Instead of traditional homelands and self-determination that allow an ethnic group to breakaway from the Republic of Sri Lanka, steps will be taken to ensure for all communities, including Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim Burgher and Malay the freedom to exercise all the rights enshrined in the constitution, including the right to live in any part of Sri Lanka on the grounds that the entire territory is the homeland of all communities.”

Mr.Sarath Fonseka has expressed the same theory in his own words:

“The truth is that this country is ruled by Sinhalese for centuries and centuries. China is ruled by Chinese, England by the Englishmen and Germany by Germans. This is because these countries are ruled by the majorities.………….. What is wrong by saying that this country, which is historically ruled by Sinhalese will be ruled by the Sinhalese… I am not a historian, but according to what I have learnt, this country is ruled by the Sinhalese and the minorities are also part and parcel of this country”

Such denial of nationhood of Tamils shows that the Tamils have to carry forward their struggle against any one of these Sinhalese supremacists and racists who is set to win in the current election. In the immediate future it is not possible for the Tamils in Srilanka to intensify the struggle. Given the trend of history and the initiatives of world Tamils to support Ealem Tamils, the war will continue towards favorable conditions until achieving a seperate state for Tamils.

The struggle for self determination or autonomy for regaining equality for Tamils within this island may not be taken seriously by the international community. But Tamils can very well expect this world to protect their right to live, basic human rights and justice which is existing or granted to any other race. Tamils should be hopeful that the civilized world shall extend the courtesy it has shown in similar conflicts in any other part of the world. In this direction the world has already waken up to expose , undertake trial and award punishment for the war crimes and genocide.

It is well known that both Rajapakse and Sarath Fonseka were very much united in committing war crimes although they are now fight against each other for gaining political power. Now, Rajapakse regime has been alleged of committing war crimes by not any outsiders but by Mr. Fonseka himself who executed the commands of Rajapakse. Fonseka alleged that the defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, brother of the President Mahinda Rajapakse had ordered the killing of Tamil Tiger leaders when they were trying to surrender in the last phase of the civil war in 2009. This uncivilized act deserves to be examined by the International court of Justice.

A vedio footage filmed during the final stages of war has also provided an evidence against the Sri Lankan army and the Government. The video showed Sri Lankan army men executing unarmed prisoners of war brutally at close range. The UN inquiry into the video’s authenticity revealed that the vedio was not fabricated. UN human rights investigator Philip Alston declared that three independent experts confirmed it was authentic.

In a major development in this month, the Irish Forum for Peace in Srilanka ( IFPS) has consulted the Permanent People’s Tribunal based in Milan and has established a People’s Tribunal on Srilanka for investigations the war crimes committed by the state of Srilanka. This tribunal will follow the methodology of Bertrand Russell Tribunal on Vietnam. The tribunal of international opinion is independent of state authorities or United Nations. It consists of 11 international judges and five interpreters including VR Krishna Aiyar and Aruntati Rai from India.

The IFPS has acknowledged the incidents in the last phase of war as below

“By April 2009 according to UN internal documents air raids and use of heavy weopons were resulting in the death of 116 people a day. During the last weeks of the war according to the reports in British and French Press over 20000 people were killed when the Srilankan armed forces used heavy artillery fire against hundreds and thousands of Tamils crowded in an extremely small area. According to human rights watch hospitals were bombed 30 times between 8th December 2008 to 2nd May 2009. According to French Medical team cluster munitions and white phosphorous has been used against these civilians. There has been media evidence of torture, summary executions, rape and sexual violence and of food and water being used as weapon of war against civilians by Srilankan Military”

The next step shall be the establishment of Special courts by United Nations in Srilanka itself for prosecuting those responsible for the atrocities perpetrated on the people in the east of Sri Lanka just like the line of action taken in Sierra Leone . If the Government of Sri Lanka turns down such proposal, alternately International Tribunals will be set up as was done in Yugoslavia and Rwanda outside Sri Lanka. After indictment of the culprits arrest warrants shall be issued through Interpol. It may take many years but both Rajapakse and Fonseka will have to answer to this world for a crime which no one would dare to defend.

A ruler inaccessible, un probing and unjust
Will sink and be ruined

( ThiruValluvar 548)

Suspected War Criminals

The present ruling Congress party under Sonia’s leadership has proved time and again that it lacks democratic decision making capability and basic common sense to solve sensitive issues be it within India or outside India. Recent flare up of events in Andhra – Telungana is one more feather in its “clown” cap. Many political observers accused Congress has a tacit hand behind the recent Sri Lankan government’s genocidal war on Tamils. In the final phase of the war alone, hundreds and thousands of innocent civilians have been killed and many more maimed due to unrestrained use of banned weapons on the densely populated civilian areas.

Autocratic Sonia?

Though actual tension mounted in the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh when TRS Chief K Chandrasekhara Rao took to fasting and further flash point reached when his health worsened, Sonia announced that she would make an initiative to split the Telangana from the Andhra pradesh as part of her election promise. Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s statement pledging to begin the process of formation of a separate Telangana state led to wild scenes of celebration in the Telangana region, and its main proponent Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief K.Chandrasekhara Rao, called off his 11-day fast.

The central congress government nod for Telangana triggered varied reactions, from jubilation to disbelief to angry resignations, and led to a domino effect with another regional faction demanding carving Andhra Pradesh into three parts. Cutting across party lines, the leaders, including legislators from the ruling Congress, opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Praja Rajyam, made it clear that Andhra Pradesh could be divided only if their region was also made a separate state.

This would mean that the present state has to be divided into three states – Telangana, Greater Rayalaseema and Andhra. “Andhra Pradesh should not be divided but if you are dividing it, form Greater Rayalaseema alongside Telangana and make coastal Andhra a separate state,” said T.G. Venkatesh, Congress legislator and convener of the Forum for the Rights of Rayalaseema. The people of Rayalaseema, comprising four districts, complain of backwardness and neglect by successive state governments. The people of the region are not ready to merge with Andhra in the event of formation of Telangana state.

In Andhra Pradesh, the Telangana promise plunged the state into political chaos after 93 legislators and many MPs, cutting across party lines, resigned to protest the central congress government’s decision. Assembly Speaker Kiran Kumar Reddy told reporters that 93 legislators from Rayalaseema and Andhra regions and belonging to three parties have submitted their resignations to him. As many as 53 legislators of the ruling Congress, 29 of the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and 11 of the Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) have submitted their resignation, he said.

Insensitive Chidambaram!

The Home minister P Chidambaram conceded that, the demand for a separate Telangana state in Andhra Pradesh showed how people felt neglected despite speaking the same language. But when he is wise enough to understand the sufferings of the Telungana people why didn’t he understand the problems faced by the people of Tamil Eelam?.

In Sri Lanka, Tamils and Sinhalese are speaking two different languages and follow different religious and cultural practices. They are more uncommon than common. When he accepts that Telungana people are neglected from the rest of the Andhra pradesh why doesn’t he recognize that Tamil people are neglected in Eelam?. However Eelam Tamil people are not just neglected, but they are suppressed and systematically ethnic cleansed by the Sinhala majority.

Even after seven months of the end of the war, scores of Tamil civilians are still in internment camps. Extra judicial killings, missing persons, sexual abuse on women are daily occurrences in the so-called liberated areas of Eelam by the Sri Lankan security forces. Several western nations and the UN have called for the inquiry of possible war crimes carried out by Sri Lankan armed forces.

The Congress government has a poor track record of understanding peoples’ problems. Instead of solving the pressing issues through democratic process, it always takes on an autocratic approach. For instance, on what grounds did Sonia announced that Andhra could be split it in to two pieces? Who had given Sonia authority to announce Andhra will be split? It seems like she announced this verdict as part of her birthday gift to the people of Andhra. By announcing the split she has brought immense suffering and loss of lives and property damages to the tune of 200 crores to Andhra Pradesh.

India is a democratic country. Any sensitive and pressing problem should be solved only through the referendum. The best solution should come from the people. They are the owner and stakeholder of democracy and not autocratic Sonia or Chidambaram.

Alarmed over the spate of resignations and protests, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K. Rosaiah said the resolution on forming a Telangana state would be tabled in the assembly only after consultations. Appearing to play down the enormity of the move, Rosaiah advised MPs and legislators not to get agitated over the issue and resign as the process of moving a resolution had not even started. These statements are more of a reactive nature to safe guard the Congress government instead of being  a people friendly, thoughtful and civilized approach. The Congress party should inherit true democratic policies from the developed nations. In the western countries, leaders never give their nod to such type of sensitive issues openly. They will always consult ruling and opposition parties and the various stake holders of the problem. In most of the sensitive cases final decision will be given to the people in the form of referendum to choose their decision.

More than 30 lives have been lost and 200 crores worth of property have been destroyed due to the immature behavior of Home minister Chidambaram and Sonia Gandhi’s open announcement about the splitting of Andhra Pradesh. These two should bear the responsibility of these human losses and property loss.

The people must decide whether they need Separation or Integration. Rulers are only facilitators and their role is to full-fill the needs of the people. They don’t have the authority to give any final verdict. People who are living in the Telangana and Eelam Tamils are the one to decide about their future and method of governing system. Allowing the separation of Andhra and Telangana and imposing non-Separation of Sri Lanka and Tamil Eelam are another senseless political duplicity of the Indian ruling Congress under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi.

Mr. Sivajilingam. MP, Srilanka, not allowed to speak in India

The reasons for denial of permission is not known immediately. It may be due to the continuing policy of the government of India to support the anti – Tamil government in Sri Lanka . The activities of Mr. Sivaji Lingam during his previous stay in Tamil Nadu such as participation in meetings organised by Tamil Nationalist leaders like Nedumaran , Vaiko and his continuous efforts to speak for the human rights of Ealem Tamils should have provided enough reasons for the anti – Tamil forces entrenched in the Indian bureaucracy to block his entry to India to satisfy their collaborators in Srilanka.

However Mr. Sivaji Lingam should have the right to visit Tamil Nadu to participate in religious and cultural activities or for any medical treatment. It looks strange while Sinhalese political leaders, MPs and their relatives can visit India freely, an elected Tamil MP of the same neighboring country is denied such hospitality. If the denial is an effort to cut the relation between Ealem Tamils and Indian Tamils it should be condemned.

Dr Ellyn Sue Shander, US citizen, not allowed to speak in India

In September 2009 the Indian high commission in New York canceled the Indian visa of Dr Ellyn Sue Shander, a US-based humanitarian worker. The Stanford-based American woman activist was scheduled to deliver lectures in India on the human rights violations of the Srilankan government. Mr. M.Natarajan, husband of Ms Sasikala, close aid of AIADMK leader Ms Jayalalithaa and the organiser of the seminars accused both the Central and State governments of curbing free speech in the country.

In November 2009 Sebastian Seeman an Indian citizen and a noted Tamil film director was asked to leave Canada canceling his engagement to speak against the human rights violations in Srilanka and in favour of achieving a home land for Tamils in Srilanka. The reason for deportation was nothing but his fiery speech supporting  the LTTE.

Mr.Seeman, Film Director, not allowed to speak in Canada

We do not know how a democratic Canadian law can be any different from the Indian law on free speech. The Indian court could not detain people like Vaiko under Prevention of Terrorism Act ( POTA) and released him by acknowledging that mere speech cannot be considered as a support to a banned organisation. But even after the defeat of LTTE and the killing of their leaders we wonder what support Seeman can give to that organisation by his few speeches. That exposes a hidden agenda among the low level officers of SriLanka, India and Canada to curtail free speech to suit their foreign relations defending their personal interests.

All over the world, the Governments have failed to understand the difference between a freedom struggle and terrorism. The key to the entry of a country is handed over to immigrant officers. They issue visas to terrorists furnishing a false identity and deny visas or deport activists who had already proved themselves as credible personalities with responsible position. It only shows the arbitrary attitude of allowing terrorist activities and suppressing a non violent democratic activity – idiocy institutionalised.

India is a democratic country and it cannot follow Srilanka or any other country in not allowing foreign activists or press persons from participating in events related to human rights. Unfortunately Indian policy makers have a narrow vision with respect to universal values and that may take India to be identified with states like Srilanka regarding freedom of speech and expression.

The government of India introduced new regulations on the issue of Visas on November 4 in the wake of disclosures about the abuse of tourist visas by 26/11 suspect David Coleman Headley. The home ministry issued a directive that foreign nationals having a long-term multi-entry Indian tourist visa must have a mandatory two-month gap between two visits. The new guidelines were opposed by the US and British governments.

In India Mr.Shashi Tharoor , Minister of state for external affairs observed in a Twitter, a social networking site, criticising the government for its new visa regulations.On December 26, Tharoor observed

“Issue is not security vs (versus) tourism, but whether visa restrictions protect our security. 26/11 killers had no visas”

The Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna said the government will go by the home ministry’s guidelines and stressed that differences over issues should not be discussed in public. This old attitude of preventing discussions is not going to produce the desired results. Mr. Krishna should demonstrate his diplomatic strength with USA in extradicting David Coleman Headley a terrorist, where India has let the head go and tries to catch the tail. Instead Mr. Krishna is acting against individuals Sivaji Lingam and Dr Ellyn Sue Shander who have no weapons except their words and language . This attitude reminds a coward husband attacking his weaker and loyal wife in house instead of fighting with a strong evil man waiting in the street.

We are undergoing a situation where an American (Dr Ellyn Sue Shander) can speak only in US, an Indian (Seeman) can speak only in India, a Srilankan (Sivaji Lingam) can speak only in Srilanka (of course under the prevailing conditions, risking his life). Then how we can say that the values of human rights and free speech are universal? The governments may fall or rise but the values should remain permanently. If all our globalisation is only for selling goods and services and not for universal values, this planet will be ruled only by merchants of death.

It is not wisdom to lose the Capital
for the sake of Interest.

( ThiruValluvar 463 )

Several protestors from the above three states participated enthusiastically with banners and placards that depicted why Sri Lankan products should be boycotted by the civilized and peace loving people. Dr. Soma Ilangovan presided the protest rally, and Duraikkannan organized the event. Outside, temperatures were freezing cold and windy, yet several families including women and children participated in the rally and registered their voices.

Organizers of the rally made calls to shoppers to participate in future protests and show their support. These rallies are not only meant for Tamils but also to freedom loving Americans to stop the genocide in Sri Lanka. At the end of the protest, pamphlets were issued to several American shoppers. The American public cheered up and expressed their support honking their cars.

Garment is one of the major revenue sources for Sri Lanka. It is this revenue that is boosting the confidence of the Sri Lankan regime to continue the genocidal war on Tamils. Their revenue can be crippled and the genocidal acts stopped by boycotting their products.  In your day to day life – when you come across products made in Sri Lanka – a Tea bag in the grocery store or Garments in the Malls, every individual has the moral responsibility to boycott that product. These boycotts are sending a strong message to all businesses that deal with Sri Lankan products about the “loss of life” caused by every single transaction of these products.

With today’s boycott a message – one that cannot be tainted negatively or brushed aside easily, was sent to the Sri Lankan regime. Let us all realize how the strength of 1 million + strong Tamil Diaspora can multiply when they start working with all the freedom loving citizens of the country they live in.

Organizers thanked all who made this rally a great success.

Snap shots from the protest rally.

protest

Compiled by

Kandhan / www.Truthdive.com

From time to time, the world has indeed witnessed the emergence of individuals who have put the human civilization to shame. There are leaders who have cultivated hatred and intolerance among societies that resulted in a hate based society. Such societies have inturn created cold blooded killers who have no regard to human dignity. The list of such war mongering leaders still continues to grow to this day.

The three leaders I have documented here hail from different parts of the world and speak different languages and have different habbits, food patterens, etc.. But they have one common thing – they are against equality and love to all human beings. They are against freedom and human rights. Their pretext to denying freedom may be different, but their approach seem to be strikinglysimilar.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the sixth and current President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the main political leader of the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran, a coalition of conservative political groups in the country. Ahmadinejad is a controversial figure both within Iran and internationally. He has been criticized domestically for his economic lapses and disregard for human rights. He supports Iran’s nuclear energy program. His election to a second term in 2009 was widely disputed and caused widespread protests domestically and drew significant international criticism. Major opposition parties,traditional clerical circles and influential Iranian politicians questioned the legitimacy of his presidency.

Ahmadinejad is an outspoken critic of the United States, Israel, and Great Britain. He does not regard the state of Israel as legitimate or representative of the region’s population. He advocates “free elections” for the region, and believes Palestinians need a stronger voice in the region’s future. He has been characterized in much of the West by a particular comment he made in 2005 which was initially translated as calling for the “occupying regime” (taken to mean Israel) to be “wiped off the map.” The comment caused significant controversy, though its translation and interpretation are disputed. He has also been accused of describing the Holocaust as a myth.

On 26 October 2005 Ahmadinejad gave a speech at a conference in Tehran entitled “World Without Zionism“. According to widely published translations, he agreed with a statement he attributed to Ayatollah Khomeini that the “occupying regime” had to be removed, and referred to it as a “disgraceful stain [on] the Islamic world“, that needed to be “wiped from the pages of history.”

Ahmadinejad’s comments were condemned by major Western governments, the European Union, Russia, the United Nations Security Council and then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. Egyptian, Turkish and Palestinian leaders also expressed displeasure over Ahmadinejad’s remark.Canada’s then Prime Minister Paul Martin said, “this threat to Israel’s existence, this call for genocide coupled with Iran’s obvious nuclear ambitions is a matter that the world cannot ignore.”

In July 2006, Ahmadinejad compared Israel’s actions in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict to Adolf Hitler’s actions during World War II saying that “like Hitler, the Zionist regime is just looking for a pretext for launching military attacks” and “is now acting just like him.” On 8 August 2006, he gave a television interview to Mike Wallace, a correspondent for 60 Minutes, in which he questioned American support of Israel’s “murderous regime” and the moral grounds for Israel’s invasion of Lebanon. On 2 December 2006, Ahmadinejad met with Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyah in Doha, Qatar. At that meeting, he said that Israel “was created to establish dominion of arrogant states over the region and to enable the enemy to penetrate the heart Muslim land.” He called Israel a “threat” and said it was created to create tensions in and impose US and UK policies upon the region. On 12 December 2006, Ahmadinejad addressed the International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust, and made comments about the future of Israel. He said, “Israel is about to crash. This is God’s promise and the wish of all the world’s nations.”

Mahinda Rajapaksa is the 6th and current executive President of Sri Lanka and Commander in Chief of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. He was sworn in for a six-year term as president on November 19, 2005.

Mahinda’s brother GotabhayaRajapaksa, Defence Secretary of Sri Lanka was severely critical of the UN in Sri Lanka and of western governments. He accused the UN in Sri Lanka of having been infiltrated by terrorists “for 30 years or so“, and as a result the UN was fed incorrect information. He also alleged that Britain and the EU were bullying Sri Lanka, and concluded that Sri Lanka “does not need them“, and that they don’t provide any significant amount of aid to the country.

The dire conditions of internment camps that are home to well over a quarter of a million fellow Tamil citizens are unknown to many. Government of Sri lanka, debars independent media and International aid agencies from access to these camps even after the end of war. Human Rights Watch said that the government’s screening of camp residents for LTTE supporters has been non-transparent and protracted and that even people who have apparently been screened and cleared have not been released.

Confidential United Nations documents recorded nearly 7,000 civilian deaths in the no-fire zone up to the end of April. UN sources reveals further that toll then surged, with an average of 1,000 civilians killed each day until May 19. It would take the final toll above 20,000. “Higher,” a UN source claimed.

Channel 4 News shows footage claimed to show Sri Lankan forces executing Tamils earlier this year. Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka, which obtained the material, said it was filmed in January – when the international media were prevented by the Sri Lankan government from covering the conflict zone.

In the recent US Department of state report to Congress on Incidents during the recent conflict in Sri Lanka, indicated photo of characteristic cluster bomb smoke cloud from a shelling on civilian population and photos of destruction of Puthukkudiyiruppu hospital complex. Report further indicated “A number of sources alleged that the GSL committed unlawful killings of civilians and captives and combatants seeking to surrender”. The report further noted the the Sri Lankan government used low civilian estimates in the no fire zone to reduce the amount of food disbursed in an effort to pressure civilians to escape, though international humanitarian law recognizes that relief organization may offer their services in relation to victims of armed conflict.

Kim Jong Il is the paramount leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (also known as North Korea). He is the Chairman of the National Defense Commission, Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army, and General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea (the ruling party since 1948). He succeeded his father Kim Il-sung, founder of North Korea, who died in 1994, and commands the fourth largest standing army in the world. North Korea officially refers to him as the “Dear Leader“.

North Korea condemned a recent U.S. pledge to provide nuclear defense of South Korea, saying Thursday that the move boosts its justification to have atomic bombs and invites a potential “fire shower of nuclear retaliation.”

The commentary in Pyongyang’s main Rodong Sinmun newspaper was the North’s latest reaction to last week’s summit between President Barack Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak. The allies issued a joint statement committing the U.S. to defend the South with nuclear weapons. North Korea also Threatens To Wipe Out The U.S. “Once And For All”

It also came as an American destroyer trailed a North Korean ship suspected of shipping weapons in violation of a U.N. resolution punishing Pyongyang’s May 25 nuclear test, and as anticipation mounted that the North might test-fire short- or mid-range missiles.
The North’s newspaper claimed that the “nuclear umbrella” commitment made it more likely for the U.S. to mount a nuclear attack on the communist North, and only “provides us with a stronger justification to have nuclear deterrent.”

It also amounts to “asking for the calamitous situation of having a fire shower of nuclear retaliation all over South Korea” in case of a conflict, the paper said.

North Korea has long claimed that the U.S. is plotting to invade it and has used the claim to justify its development of nuclear weapons. The U.S. has repeatedly said it has no intention of attacking North Korea.

In a separate editorial marking the 1950 outbreak of the Korean War, the Rodong said the North “will never give up nuclear deterrent … and will further strengthen it” as long as Washington remains hostile.

The profile of these leaders gives us a glipmse of the approach taken by destructive leaders who want to build and thrive on hate-based societies. When “hatred“ is the foundation of the leaders contribution to their nation, even progress will result in eventual destruction of the very nation.

The petitioner charges Sri Lanka with committing genocide against the minority Tamils in the country and of violating international human rights laws. Citing the confinement of the Tamil speaking war refugees in military controlled camps, and treating them as slaves, he argues that by these actions Sri Lanka is violating provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, 1948. The petition also notes that the Sri Lankan navy has killed more than 500 Indian fishermen (in the last three decades) and there have been frequent agitations in Tamil Nadu against these killings.

The court has ordered notices to the secretaries of Home, External Affairs and Youth and Sports Welfare ministries of the government of India. Whether the Indian team’s tour is going to be called off or not – the tri-series is scheduled to start next week – this petition by the Madurai advocate could be a forerunner to future campaigns against the Sri Lankan government.

The ‘boycott Sri Lanka’ slogan is a powerful weapon that Colombo will find it difficult to handle with its military power. This campaign has been going on for some time on a low key, with the ‘boycott’ emails doing the rounds. With the petition by the Madurai lawyer, the campaign has been taken to another level.

A sustained campaign by the Tamil diaspora, who are present in large numbers in the cricket playing nations of Australia and England, can turn around public opinion so swiftly that before Colombo realizes it, President Rajapaksa and his aides would be fighting a diplomatic battle with their back to the wall. It will be a difficult battle for them. Surely, it will not be as simple as getting the support of China and Russia in the United Nations security council to block a debate on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka.

The genocide charges against Colombo will be discussed on the streets, play grounds and sports pages of newspapers and magazines around the world. The spokespersons for the Tamil cause may not be a Thirumavalavan, or a Vaiko or a Nedumaran in Tamil Nadu anymore, but possibly a Sachin Tendulkar or a MS Dhoni or a Ricky Ponting.

The cricket boards of the respective countries will have to respect the sentiments of players. They would have no choice except to boycott Sri Lanka if the players feel so. Just last year, Zimbabwe was isolated by the other cricket playing countries of the world because of the racist policies – against the white minorities – and human rights violations of the Robert Mugabe government.

English player Andrew Strauss spoke out against Zimbabwe last summer. A BBC report in June said, “The batsman feels both the England and Wales Cricket Board and the government have missed previous chances to send Mugabe a message by refusing to play. He said: “In the past there’ve been chances to show the strength of feeling here and the government chose not to. If it comes down to players to do that we’ll definitely have to look at it.”

A few weeks later, the England and Wales Cricket board announced that it was canceling its 2009 tour of Zimbabwe. “All bilateral arrangements are suspended with Zimbabwe cricket with immediate effect,” the board said. A disgraced Zimbabwe cricket board announced that it was pulling out of the 2009 Twenty20 world cup in England “in the larger interests of the game.”

Zimbabwe cricket chairman Peter Chingoka said, “We have been informed that the British government may not grant visas to our players and that situation may prevail during the Twenty20 World Cup. We don’t want to be gatecrashers.”

However, for the ‘boycott Sri Lanka’ campaign to be successful, the Tamils should get the support of top international players. They need to apprise players like Sachin, Dhoni, Ponting, Hayden, and others, on the sufferings of Tamils in Sri Lanka. They need to tell them how Sri Lanka has been indicted by human rights agencies around the world over the rampant “disappearances” of people in the country. They need to tell them about the absence of safety for journalists in Sri Lanka.

A senior journalist Lasantha Wickrematunga was killed by unknown assailants early this year. Last week, the editor of The North Eastern Monthly, J S Tissainayagam, was sentenced to twenty years rigorous imprisonment on charges of receiving funds from the LTTE. Over forty Sri Lankan journalists have fled the country fearing for their lives.

The moment international cricketers become aware of the situation, they themselves would lead the campaign for an international sports boycott against Sri Lanka.

The writer PC Vinoj Kumar is a Special Correspondent for the Indian weekly magazine – Tehelka. The views expressed are his own.

[youtube width="480" height="385"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IJ6u8Z8IL0[/youtube]

Burma:

Burma’s Junta recently extended the house arrest of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, 61 for another year, defying overwhelming international appeals. Suu Kyi, has spent more than 11 of the past 17 years of life in detention.

The Junta took power in 1988 after crushing pro-democracy demonstrations in Burma. It refused to hand over power when, on May 27, 1990, Suu Kyi’s Burma’s National League for Democracy party won a general election by a landslide.

Suu Kyi won the Rafto Prize and the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 1990 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. In 1992 she was awarded the Jawaharlal Nehru peace prize by the Government of India for her peaceful and non-violent struggle against the military dictatorship. According to the results of the 1990 general election, Suu Kyi as leader of the winning National League for Democracy party earned the right to be the Prime Minister, but her detention by the military Junta prevented just that.The United Nations, the European Union and the U.S. government have been repeatedly calling for the release of Suu Kyi and other political prisoners, as well as for moves toward democracy in Burma.

China – Tibet:

Chinese soldiers and Paramilitary encircled cities and villages in Tibet early this year, on the tip-off about possible unrest on the 50th anniversary of the failed uprising against Chinese rule.

Half a century ago Dalai Lama – the Tibetan spiritual leader fled Tibet after a failed uprising against the Chinese and has been living in Dharamsala, India – the Himalayan hill town that is the seat of the so called Tibetan government-in-exile. Tibetans outside of China and their supporters held rallies around the world recently to mark the 50th anniversary of a failed Tibetan uprising.

Meanwhile Dalai Lama acknowledged the “failure” of his policy of talks with Beijing which yielded no results. “Our approach never affects the inside situation. Things are not going well.” he told reporters.

Dalai Lama - The spiritual and political leader for the people of Tibet has been talking about the “cultural genocide” by the Chinese, has been warning that Tibet’s “ancient culture and ancient civilization are now dying.” and painfully confesses that “for the short term, the Tibet issue is hopeless.”

There is a suspicion among foreign analysts of Chinese policy toward Tibet that Beijing has no intention of seriously seeking a solution to the problem and is planning simply to wait for the death of Dalai Lama. His successor, after all, would enjoy none of the international kudos, domestic devotion, or diplomatic experience that gives Dalai Lama his political strength.

Since the last round of talks between top Chinese officials and delegates of Dalai Lama that took place through the year 2002 there appears an impasse. The Chinese side has repeatedly refused the Tibetans’ demands to discuss the outlines of  Tibetan autonomy,calling it a “covert independence” and a violation of Chinese sovereignty.

Sri Lanka – Tamil Eelam:

Tamils – the speakers of an ancient classical language, who have a heritage of rich literature dating back as much as 5000 years old are the native inhabitants of Southern India and North East of Sri Lanka in the present day boundaries of this region. Their struggle for self determination and the establishment of a free state “Tamil Eelam” has been countered by successive heads of the Sri Lankan state. Both peace-full resistance under the leadership of S.J.V.Chelvanayagam and armed resistance under the leadership of V. Pirabakaran have met violent opposition by the Sri Lankan government. 

The plight of the high civilian causalities during the recent offensive and the regular disappearances of internally displaced people from the Intermittent camps remind us of the Nazi days. The “Never Again” slogan seem to have been lost in the rumbles of the “war on terror”. Leaked UN figures state that more than 20,000 Tamil civilians were killed and several thousand injured by the Sri Lankan Army just in the last few days of the war. Several International analysts who have focused on past genocides of the world have warned that the Tamils of Sri Lanka are facing “slow genocide” at the hands of Sri Lankan armed forces and the Sri Lankan government. While the human cost of the Sri Lankan civil war has been extremely high, world leaders were still of the opinion that the Tamils struggle was legitimate, but their use of violence is unacceptable. The casualties of this war has largely been ignored or hidden by world bodies such as UN to avoid the embarrassment of the exposure of the “uncivilized” world. 

Non-violence and Armed struggle

I am wondering, if the world leaders and world bodies seek an end to all armed struggles across the world, do they think that the world is ready to heed to peaceful protests. If so why has there not been any progress or hope for the freedom of Tibetans. Why has there not been any success with the Aung San Suu Kyi’s strugle to bring democracy to Burma?.

Even after 50 years and 17years of struggle Dalai Lama and Aung San Suu Kyi are yet to see any meaningful progress, leave alone a permanent solution. The International Community have been occasionally releasing statements in favor of these two rebel leaders, but carry on their diplomatic missions and trade agreements with China and Burma. The UN has always remained the extended arm of the Security Council members and has done nothing for these two peaceful struggles. 

It makes me conclude that the International Community and the UN are nothing more than empty words. Until they are able to bring a positive outcome to the peaceful struggles in these Asian nations or across the globe, they will not earn the respect of anybody and cannot gain any legitimacy in dictating the means and ways of somebodies struggles towards equality and dignity. Until then, the power to end the miseries of Burma, Tibet & Tamil Eelam rests in the hands of it own people.