Newsletter of the Ilankai Tamil Sangam, USA
WINTER 1996/1997
| Kadirgamar says, 'Its an internal matter' - A Response from Nadesan Satyendra US State Department Report on Human Rights in Sri Lanka US Committee for Refugees Reports on Conditions in Thamileelam |
Kadirgamar Says, ‘It is an Internal Matter’ A Response from Nadesan Satyendra Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar has matched the genocidal war launched by his Government on the Tamil people with his own belligerence. He told Reuters on 20 February: "Third parties coming here is absolutely out of the question. This is an internal matter.. several governments, individuals and non governmental organisations had offered out of goodwill to help end the war but "It (mediation) becomes an interference in our internal affairs and we will not tolerate it at all." Tamil people will hope that the "several governments and non governmental organisations "who had ‘offered out of goodwill to help’ will take the Foreign Minister at his word and also stop giving external aid to the tune of more than 860 million US Dollars - which aid has served to prop up and support Sri Lanka’s " genocidal war on the Tamil people. After all, as Foreign Minister Kadirgamar has been at pains to point out, the conflict is an "internal matter" and there is no reason why taxpayers in foreign countries should foot the bill for the Sinhala dominated Sri Lanka government’s "internal" military adventures. Again, hopefully, the United States too will take Foreign Minister Kadirgamar’s warning seriously and withdraw its Green Berets and technical aid. The conflict in the island is an "internal matter" and Sri Lanka, it appears, will not tolerate foreign offers even when made ‘out of good will to help’. However, perhaps even Foreign Minister Kadirgamar will admit that there are matters in relation to the conflict which are not internal. Human rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are not internal matters. The humanitarian law of armed conflict and the Geneva Conventions are not internal matters. Genocide is not an internal matter. It is an international crime. Under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, acts of murder committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group as such are considered as acts of genocide. During the period commencing May 1995 and continuing up to date, the actions of the Sri Lanka authorities in their war on the Tamil people in the North-East of the island of Sri Lanka amount to genocide. The fact of the murder and rape of members of the group, of torture and grave attacks on their physical and mental integrity and of the subjection of the group to conditions leading necessarily to their deaths are clearly proven by the evidence. Margaret Trawick, Professor of Social Anthropology, Massey University Palmerston North, New Zealand was moved to comment on 28 April 1996: "I have been struggling in my mind against the conclusion that the SL government is trying to kill or terrorize as many Tamil people as possible; that the government is trying to keep the conditions of the war unreported internationally, because if those conditions were reported, the actions of the military would be perceived as so deplorable that foreign nations would have no choice but to condemn them. And this would be embarrassing to everybody. But it seems now that no other conclusion is possible..." And, under cover of press restrictions which the Non Governmental Organisation "Article 19" has described as going ‘ far beyond any legitimate interest in protecting national security or public order’ Sri Lanka’s genocide continues to the present day. The Commander in Chief of the Sri Lanka armed forces, President Chandrika Kumaratunga and the Sri Lanka government have celebrated the genocidal onslaught on the Tamil people at victory ceremonies evoking memories of earlier conquests of the Tamil homeland by Sinhala kings. They have failed to investigate the genocidal acts committed by their armed forces and para military agencies. They have refrained from intervening to prevent the genocide. The U.S. Department of State, Sri Lanka Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 1996 concluded that " immunity for those responsible for human rights abuses remained a problem". The attitude of President Kumaratunga and her Government amounts to incitement to crime and criminal negligence and must be judged as severely as the crimes actively committed by those under their command. The fundamental rights and freedoms of the people of Tamil Eelam are of direct concern to the international community, which is entitled and duty bound to ensure that these rights are respected, particularly when they are openly breached by one of its member states. Genocide is not an internal matter. It is an international crime - and transcends state boundaries. Nadesan Satyendra Courtesy Circle # 1045
US State Department Report on Sri Lanka The US State Department has released the 1996 Report on Human Rights practices in Sri Lanka. The report this year has been a significant departure from the previous year’s (1995) report. Last year the State Department unduly praised the Sri Lankan government, and excessively criticized the LTTE. It even went to the extent of accusing LTTE of rape, which everyone knows is an outright lie. That report was so biased it even drew an unusually scathing response from Amnesty International. This year’s report is more balanced, in the sense that for the first time it lists the violations committed by the Sri Lankan government. Particular attention was paid to the impunity enjoyed by the armed forces. It notes the fact that, although the government has enacted human rights legislation, appointed various commissions, started legal proceedings against a few members of the armed forces, etc., no one has been punished so far. The report is critical of the LTTE also, and the phraseology used in respect of the LTTE is harsher in comparison to the description of the SL army. Some inaccuracies persist. Considering the limitations imposed by the necessity of having to be ‘civil’ to ‘fellow governments’, and the lack of such necessity towards freedom movements, this report is viewed by the Tamils as an improvement. The full report is available on the Internet, via. link from the sangam home page (www.sangam.org).
The US Committee for Refugees (USCR) has published a new report on the situation of internally displaced persons in Sri Lanka and recently arrived Sri Lankan refugees in South India. The report is based on USCR’s recent site visit to Sri Lanka and South India. In Sri Lanka, USCR visited Colombo, Jaffna, Vavuniya, and the Wanni, and interviewed national and local Sri Lankan government and military officials, representatives of international organizations and diplomatic missions, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) officials, international and local NGO staff, human rights monitors, concerned individuals, and numerous displaced persons and refugees. The 40-page report includes [unattributed] comments by those interviewed, photos, and recommendations aimed at improving the situation for the displaced. Individual copies of the report are available for $4 each. Groups and organizations planning to distribute copies of the report to its members can receive bulk copies of the report for only the cost of postage or transportation of the bulk order to the organization. To order, please contact: Raci Say, USCR Distribution Coordinator, tel: (202) 347-3507, fax: (202) 347-3418, e-mail: rsay@irsa-uscr.org
KITTU REMEMBRANCE DAY Memorial ceremonies were held throughout Thamileelam, and in many parts of the world. Throughout Vanni the houses and other public buildings were decorated with portraits of Kittu and the Eelam flag. A well attended public meeting with hoisting of the Eelam flag was held. Similar ceremonies were held in the east as well. Large meetings were held in Sampur, Verugal and Muthur, and in many capitals throughout the world. Operation Edi Bala According to the LTTE statement, "Soldiers descended on these villages like swarms of locusts sending residents running in terror as their homes were bombed and bulldozed. Acres of rice fields have been purposely scorched during the assault in what is becoming a more and more typical military tactic." About 10,000 displaced civilians sought refuge at the Madhu Church refugee camp, while others sought refuge in the town of Iranai Illupaikulam. Many fled by boat to South India. On several occasions the fleeing civilians were targeted by the air-force bombers. About 14 families that stayed behind in their homes in Kunchukulam (near Puvarasankulam) were taken away in army trucks and their fate is unknown. Under cover of the ban on reporters visiting the northeast, the army is carrying out a scorched-earth policy towards the Tamils. About 12,000 acres of paddy fields ripe for harvest were burnt by the advancing army. Houses and other buildings were bulldozed. Although the TV and Colombo papers showed pictures of the mutilated bodies of the Muslims killed in a land-mine attack (done by the SL army and blamed on the Tigers - see front page story), none of the destruction of the Tamil areas was reported. A clearer picture of the government policy towards the Tamil civilians has emerged during the last two army operations. The first step is to drive them out of their homes and villages into refugee camps. Then break their morale with deprivation of food, medicine and other essentials. This they hope will isolate the LTTE cadres, whom they could easily identify and destroy. This strategy was not lost on foreign observers. Robin Raphel, US Asst. Secretary of State, during her visit to the island, had insisted on visiting the notorious camp in Vavuniya and is said to have been disturbed by her findings. Her request that this camp be closed has not been honoured yet. A Boat Tragedy Rescue operations launched by the LTTE’s Sea Tigers saved the rest, but were able to recover only 62 bodies. The boat which had a capacity to carry only 40 persons was overcrowded with 150 refugees. According to a Reuters report, the Sri Lankan navy which has a large presence in the area, denied any knowledge and did nothing to help. In the past fleeing refugees have been intercepted by the SL navy, and brought back to refugee camps in the north. Some of these newswire reports, written by Sri Lankan nationals in Colombo, added that some of the refugees have stated that they were ‘forced by the LTTE to flee to India.’ This is mischievous reporting, in light of the fact that several human rights organizations have found this accusation by the SL officials to be untrue. For instance, Katie Hope of the US Committee for Refugees at a press conference on 10 Dec 1996 in Washington DC, following her visit to the camps in India, had said, ‘The reason given for this (interception by the navy) was that people had been coerced by the LTTE to leave. We have no actual confirmation of those reports, but my understanding from having talked to the refugees was that they were leaving after being displaced many times. We didn’t feel that people were coming to India out of coercion. There is no evidence of that." The LTTE statement on this incident stated, ‘In this military offensive, like all others, Sri Lankan troops have been bulldozing their way through Tamil territory without regard for civilian casualties. For Tamils the hazardous boat crossing to India is a last resort to escape the army advance. Many more people are likely to attempt the dangerous crossing as the army proceeds with its offensive.’ LTTE declared a day of mourning on 22 Feb, which was widely observed throughout Thamileelam. LTTE Ranks Swell The SL army on the other hand has been plagued by desertions and lack of new enrolment, in spite of the very attractive pay and other perks (including those to the families of soldiers.) Human rights organizations confused by the number of Sinhala soldiers missing in action have concluded that they have been taken prisoner by the LTTE. According to LTTE sources most MIAs are deserters, who are being harbored by the families to continue to receive the pay checks (and the perks.)
Letters Hello Congratulations on the birth of your new website! I have been exploring it a little bit and enjoyed the new discoveries hiding in various niches and corners there. More later. Best regards, Margaret Trawick Congratulations, excellent reporting. I am printing and distributing the interesting articles to my other Tamil friends. Long live Tamil Eelam. Mahen After I visited your site, I thought it is my duty to appreciate your work. It is an excellent source for those who need the truth about the struggle. Well designed, well documented etc. Keep up the good work. As an expatriate Tamil who believe in the struggle for freedom, I thank you for the work. Best Regards. Karan
- A concerned Tamil You have a very nice web page. I’ve linked to it from UC Berkeley’s South Asian Diaspora web site You’ll be under "electronic resources." Take a look; you might be interested in linking to us as well. Best, Vanessa Tait I finally browsed through the sangam Home page. It did appear well laid out. I read through the State Dept. account of Sri Lankan state of affairs. I plan to type out a letter to State Dept. Asia desk. Americans are (in)famous at this game of ‘rocking the Cradle and pinching the baby.’ Mala. I was going through your Web site and noticed the following: "Membership to Ilankai Tamil Sangam, USA is open to ALL Tamils." Does it mean that the non-Tamils can’t get membership? May I suggest that if you want to give a positive non-racist impression to a reader who goes through your web site, you could modify the above to the following: "Membership to Ilankai Tamil Sangam, USA is open to ALL who are interested in the welfare of Tamils." Regards Jey K. (It was an inadvertent mistake and has been corrected - Ed.) I had a look at the sangam.org site just now. Birdie I saw your new domain. It looks very impressive. Please let us know if
you’re going to (or already have) taken ‘research’ documents off line. We
would like to link them to pages on other sites (even when you move them off). Many thanks, (Done - Editor) A lot of groups joined together to raise this Thimbu Declaration! However, only LTTE are still following it. Many of these ‘other’ groups have since joined the opposition (enemy) to kill their own people. They’re what I call ‘Traitors’. Couldn’t you find any other meaningful document to insert in its place? Name withheld I have followed most of the links and find the information very well presented and very sad. I found the Tamil Eelam Homepage to be of assistance to me in understanding the gist of the matter. It took awhile to get there & wonder if you would consider putting it’s link on your opening page? Mary Lou Miller Web site looks great. I really liked it. I am very impressed with Eelam web page as well. It looks like we have already won the Web War! Jay Checked out your website (and) I enjoyed it very much... loved the
article by Anton... "Suppose All The Tigers Died" (or something like that).
He’s right... as with most issues, emotionalisation of the issue gets in the way of
rationally based directions - I am sure even Prabhakaran’s worst enemies admire him
for his valor. Anbudan Hello Is it possible to get a list of articles from Tamil Voice that have come off your Tamil sangam pages. Do you actually have the articles in electronic form still? Sutha I looked at your new Ilankai Tamil sangam home page, which seemed interesting. Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of time for this work usually, and Websurfing is very time-consuming for my old, out-of-date computer, so I rarely do it. But good luck with it. Jim McDonald You are doing great job. Keep on doing! Good luck. Bye now. International Tamil Society Having scanned the open letter from the lady in Australia, and your
editorial, I must say I am rather disappointed that there is no sign of genuine moves
towards a genuine PEACE. God bless you ALL.
Vasantha
Mayuran
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