by Dr. Easwaran
We appeal to you, let us shed our personal and political differences and come together to show our unified anxiety on this escalating violence on our community in Sri Lanka. The gruesome violence is being perpetrated by the Sri Lankan armed forces on the innocent Tamil community. Without doubt, these atrocious violent activities have been instigated by the present Sinhala government to satisfy its JVP and Bikku partners.
We, the Tamil Diaspora, need to act now in unison to show our disapproval of these events that are unfolding in the Island.
It is our solemn duty to highlight these atrocities to the International Community. The western governments have believed the parroted version of all the Misinformation's spun by the Sri Lankan Government without any verification. The recent clear escalation of violence and the GOSL denial of this has been refuted by SLMM, UNICEF, and other NGO'S. Still the Sri Lankan government insists on its version of the stories.
It is Time for us to tear off the false "peace mask" of this government. Since December, 2005 this government has staged systematic ethnic cleansing activities.
(1) Killing of the TNA MP Mr. Joseph Pararajasingam on Christmas Eve inside a church within the government-controlled area in Batticola.
(2) Non Implementation of the Geneva 1 talks held in February 2006. Continued use of paramilitary groups to kill academics and prominent Tamils and denying the presence of the paramilitary operating with the SL- armed forces. Most atrocities are committed in the government-held areas. E.g. killing of the nominated MP Mr. Vigneswaran in Trincomalee in April 06. Political analyst Mr. Siva Raman (Taraki) in Colombo and many more.
(3) The gruesome massacres of families in Allapity and Paessali, in June, 2006, and 16 killed and many injured inside the church in Mannar and burning of boats belonging to the fisher-folks.
(4) Water dispute- the agreed arrangement with the ADB (Asian Development Bank) to build a drinking water tank in the Tamil area was cancelled at the last moment by the government, but it went on to approve the program to build projects only within the government-held area. (The Sinhala colonies that were brought into the traditional Tamil area by the government). Tamil villagers in Maavilaru closed the sluice gates on 20th July, 2006 and prevented the waterflow as a protest on the cancellation of the drinking water project. The government wanted to teach the Tamils a lesson and started the aerial bombing, and armed forces were sent to open the sluice. This led to the protective and defense action by the LTTE, pushing the armed forces out of Mutter. As soon as the operation was over the LTTE left Muttur, then the armed forces entered the town and massacred the 17 Tsunami Aid workers on behalf of the French NGO, 16 Tamil men and women and one Muslim man.
(5) Using Civilians in Jaffna as human shields, imposing unauthorized curfew to harass the Tamil civilians since early August. 2006. Illegal embargo imposed on food, medicine and other essential items is starving the people within the Jaffna peninsula.
(6) Bombing of the Sencholai Orphanage on 14th August 06 in Mullaitivu, killing 61 young girls between the ages of 16-19, and wounding 125 girls from this orphanage. UNICEF and the SLMM have condemned this action by the government after inspecting the site. The government spokesman has denied and later has blamed UNICEF & the SLMM for falsifying the event and are still justifying their action with malicious lies.
Geneva 2 talks 28, 29 October.
(7) On 2nd November, 2006, scarcely three days after Sri Lanka's pledge in Geneva that it would not launch any military offensive, the SL Air Force launched an attack on the town of Killinochchi, dropping 16 bombs within 500 meters east of the newly built hospital and killing five members of a family, displacing 500 patients from this hospital.
(8) In Vaharai in Batticaloa district, the refugee camps in two schools where internally displaced were sheltered were been shelled, killing 53 men women and children and injuring 127. Also the army prevented taking the injured to Batticaloa hospital on 8th November, 2006.
(9) Assassination of (TNA) Tamil Member of Parliament Mr. Nadarajah Raviraj on 10th November, 2006 in the capital Colombo.
(10) Since October 2006, the Battle for Vaharai went on, Tamil civilians were shelled and bombed day in and day out, displacing more than 44,000 people. The army imposed an embargo on food and medicine. Only one consignment was allowed in these four months. Finally the shelling of the Vaharai hospital two days ago prompted the LTTE to clear their presence from Vaharai for the people to move out of the area to safe places.
(11) The Sri Lankan government has convinced the international governments that it is fighting a "war on terrorism". Using this excuse, it is really carrying out ethnic cleansing activity, which the UN or the International community is unable to comprehend. Clearing the LTTE out of East, Trincomalee and then the Jaffna peninsula - means chasing the Tamils out of these areas so that they can never claim a Tamil homeland. Unfortunately, the Tamil paramilitary groups are aiding and abetting the Sri Lankan government's venture.
(12) Since December, 2005 more than 3000 Tamil men, women and children of all ages have fallen victims to the unruly, malevolent armed forces of Sri Lanka.
(13) Tamils in the Jaffna peninsula have been experiencing robbery, abduction, torture, shooting and killings every day and night for the past year. Under the pretext of curfew, the paramilitary groups alongside of the armed forces have committed, robbery, rape, abduction, and cold blooded murder. People have no means of reporting, a general fear has been instilled into them by these armed forces.
(14) Now Colombo and the surrounding areas are also not safe for Tamils. The wealthy and professionals are harassed for large sum of money by using kidnapping tactics by the Paramilitary groups, Sinhala armed forces, the underworld thugs and the guardians of 'Law and order.' Tamil youngsters are rounded up as terrorists and dispatched to the notorious "Boosa jail" in the south for torture.
(15) Some of the foreign NGO's have been accused by the GOSL of helping the LTTE, when they actually went out to provide medical help and to feed the starving civilians in the east, these NGO's had been ordered out of the country. The GOSL is a fascist, dictatorial government without any doubt.
Let us urge the UN to take immediate action. Hope US, British government and the European Union review their current foreign policy.
We kindly request the International community to look at the Tamil people's problem on a wider spectrum with sympathy and on a humanitarian basis. We condemn the atrocities of all groups of armed forces in Sri Lanka. We need to convince the International community to see through the "smoke screen" that has been erected by the Sri Lankan government. It is "State Terrorism" that has been used over the past five decades to squash the legitimate human rights of the Tamils. Tamil militancy grew only to defend against this state terrorism.
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