Ilankai Tamil Sangam
Association of Tamils of Sri Lanka in the USA
Published by Sangam.org

Sri Lanka Crisis

It's the economy, ladies and gentlemen

by Sasikumar, Kaluga, March 17, 2009

Tourism, Tea, Coffee, Garments and Overseas money transfer are some major revenue sources for Sri Lanka. It is this revenue that is boosting the confidence of the Sri Lankan regime to continue the war. Unless it is necessary to support their relatives back in Sri Lanka, one must seize their money transfers to Sri Lanka. Also if possible they should liquidate or pull back their investments from Sri Lanka.

We are at the midst of a great economic meltdown. Several of the so called developed countries have lost more than half of their net capitalization of stock market due to this economical tsunami at the blink of an eye.

While Trillion dollar economies of USA, U.K, Japan and India are under turmoil, one would wonder what would be the fate of the economy of the tiny South Asian nation Sri Lanka that is waging a genocidal war against its ethnic minority. It is unfortunate that calls for a permanent ceasefire by several nations including Canada, USA, UK and also the UN has fallen on deaf ears.

Stop Travelling in Sri Lankan Air Lines

We are all aware that a war has to be fought not just at the battlefront but also from political and economic fronts. The current Sri Lankan civil war referred by some as the “Eelam war IV” is also being fought from all these fronts. Considering the large population of the Tamils living in countries like USA, Canada, Europe, Singapore, Malaysia and Australia - the Tamils who are collectively campaigning for an immediate ceasefire, have the numeric advantage over the Sinhala masses that back the war mongering regime of the Rajapakse brothers.

If only those who are in favor of freedom and human dignity can launch a campaign in collaboration with the native population of the respective countries they live in - to boycott “Made in Sri Lanka” products, a strong message – one that cannot be tainted negatively or brushed aside easily, can be sent to the Sri Lankan regime and possibly force an end to this war.

Say No Sri Lankan Tea / Coffee

One needs to put his/her sharp mind to work in this “economical battlefront”. Tourism, Tea, Coffee, Garments and Overseas money transfer are some major revenue sources for Sri Lanka. It is this revenue that is boosting the confidence of the Sri Lankan regime to continue the war. Unless it is necessary to support their relatives back in Sri Lanka, one must seize their money transfers to Sri Lanka. Also if possible they should liquidate or pull back their investments from Sri Lanka. This can be done with little effort by every individual.

Working collectively with other freedom loving members they can take the list of travels agencies that sell tour packages to Sri Lanka and request these agencies “Not to be a part to the genocide” by presenting relevant facts thorough emails and holding peaceful rallies in front of their offices.

In your day to day life – when you come across products made in Sri Lanka - either a Tea bag in the grocery store or Garments in the Malls, every individual has the historical responsibility to boycott that product and also communicate not only to Tamils, but to every fellow human on where the money is going. The business’s that deal with Sri Lankan products need to be informed about the “loss of life” that is being caused with every transaction of these products.

Promote Peace by Boycotting Sri Lankan Products

In an informed and responsible society, everyone is a freedom fighter. 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.

As Bill Clinton used the phrase “It’s the economy, stupid” to defeat George H.W. Bush during the 1992 presidential campaign, although Papa Bush was considered unbeatable because of the foreign policy developments such as the end of the Cold War and the Persian Gulf War. Let us all use the phrase “It’s the economy, Ladies & Gentlemen” to knock down the war mongering Sri Lankan regime from its pursuit of this genocidal war.

Written by Sasikumar
An engineer by profession, Sasikumar holds double masters degree in Engineering from India and Business Administration from USA. He writes to transform the Indian politics into an issue based one.