Ilankai Tamil Sangam
Association of Tamils of Sri Lanka in the USA
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USTPAC Commends Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on passage of Historic Resolution by the Tamil Nadu Government

by US Tamil Political Action Council, PRWeb, June 22, 2011

United States Tamil Political Action Council (USTPAC) welcomes the resolution passed in the Tamil Nadu Assembly calling for the UN to investigate the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Sri Lankan armed forces against Tamils in NorthEast Sri Lanka. The historic resolution also called for economic sanctions to be imposed against Sri Lanka until Tamils receive their due rights.

Washington, DC (PRWEB) June 22, 2011 -- After the Jewish Holocaust, and again after the Rwandan genocide, the civilized world said “never again,” but much to the horror of peace-loving people around the world, grave crimes against humanity were committed on the sandy beaches of Mullivaikkal, Sri Lanka in the spring of 2009. The Sri Lankan armed forces, under the pretext of eliminating the rebel Tamil Tigers, staged an all-out assault against the civilian Tamil population.

According to the recent UN Panel report and accounts from human rights groups, over 40,000 Tamil civilians were killed mostly by Sri Lankan government forces by shelling safe zones and hospitals, and by denial of food and medicine. The distinguished panel setup by the UN Secretary General called for an independent international investigation.

“It is in this context that the recent resolution passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly is especially significant for the oppressed Tamil population in Sri Lanka. We thank the Chief Minister who introduced the resolution on Sri Lanka and all the members of the Tamil Nadu Assembly for their clear intent and action,” said USTPAC’s President, Dr. Elias Jeyarajah.

The UN Secretary-General’s Panel of Experts’ report on Sri Lanka found that the campaign by the Sri Lankan armed forces “constituted persecution of the population of the Vanni.” Christof Heyns, the UN Special Rapporteur for extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, authenticated the execution footage put out by British Channel 4, and reported to the UN Human Rights Council that this constitutes “definitive war crime.”

The resolution passed by the Tamil Nadu assembly on June 8th urged the Indian government to push the UN to declare the Sri Lankan regime as war criminals and called for economic sanctions against Sri Lanka. The resolution was further advanced by the follow up meeting the Chief Minister had with the Indian Prime Minister.

“The Tamil Nadu legislative assembly has recently passed a resolution urging the Government of India to initiate action by working with other nations for the imposition of an economic embargo on the Government of Sri Lanka, until the Tamils who are now living in camps are resettled in their own places and are allowed to live with dignity and with equal constitutional rights on par with the Sinhalese,” Ms. Jayalalithaa said in her memorandum to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Many respected international human rights organizations and international figures have called into question the indifference shown by the UN to prevent crimes against humanity suffered by Tamils and the lack of enthusiasm to bring justice for the victims. “The USTPAC has spearheaded a boycott Sri Lanka campaign for two years, and the Tamil Nadu assembly resolution calling for economic sanctions against Sri Lanka to force international investigations is a significant advancement to establish accountability and bring peace,” said the spokesman for USTPAC.

It was the great Oliver Tambo, who led the anti-apartheid struggle against the then South African government, who said, “We believe that the world, too, can destroy apartheid, firstly by striking at the economy of South Africa.” “We hope and believe that apartheid in Sri Lanka will be destroyed with the assistance of the people and government of Tamil Nadu”, said the spokesperson. “Tamils of the world are confident that Chief Minister Jayalalithaa will have similar influence in bringing justice and peace to Tamils of Eelam,” he added.

Media Contact: 202-595-3123
EMAIL: info(at)ustpac(dot)org
or visit: http://www.ustpac.org

About USTPAC:

The United States Tamil Political Action Council is a registered not-for-profit organization in the U.S. with the mission of achieving a peaceful political solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka by democratic, non-violent and lawful means. Founded in 2009, USTPAC is a grassroots-advocacy organization which coordinates advocacy and political activism on a national scale.

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