Manifesto of the Tamil Candidate 

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By S.V. Kirubaharan,  Tamil Centre for Human Rights, France, September 13, 2024

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For over a year, the Tamil people have been united in a collective effort under fully fledged democratic means – collective thinking, consultation, wider discussion, debates, etc. in response to the suffering during the last fifteen years. Civil society activists of the North East have joined with members of civil society, columnists, religious leaders, intellectuals, academics, former and present members of parliament, etc. This unprecedented unity has led to the emergence of a “Tamil Common Presidential Candidate”, marking a significant moment in the history of the North and East.

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The naming of Mr. Pakiaselvam Arianetheran as the ‘Tamils’ common Presidential candidate’ in the forthcoming election, symbolising the joint effort.

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An election manifesto was released on the 3rd of September 2024 by the ‘Tamil National General Structure’. From it, all voters in Sri Lanka, and the international community will understand the political grievances of the people in the North and East over more than seven decades.

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Not only voters in the North and East but also voters in other provinces and districts, Muslim brothers and sisters, Up-country Tamils, and especially people in Colombo should vote for the common presidential candidate, whose symbol is ‘Conch’. This manifesto will alert the people of the South and the International Community regarding grievances in the North and East.

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Now let’s see very briefly what the election manifesto says:

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The introduction highlights the fact that the Tamil nation has been struggling for freedom for the past seven decades in various ways. Former Member of Parliament from Batticaloa district, Mr. P. Arianetheran has been nominated as the Tamil common candidate under the symbol of ‘Conch’.

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The alliance known as the ‘Tamil National General Structure’ is a coalition of civil society and Tamil political parties that emerged as a new hope for Tamil unity and a strong foundation for future Tamil politics. It is relatively large among the alliances formed in the last fifteen years in the North and East.

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 The Tamil common candidate will rally the Tamil people as one. At the same time, he will express to the international community and the South the collective will of the Tamil people towards a solution to the ethnic problem. He will also demand reparative justice against genocide.

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The Tamil common candidate is not pre-positioned to become President. He will use his voice to advance the political aspirations of the Tamil people in one voice.

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The Manifesto says, “We, Tamils, live in the island of Sri Lanka as a unique nation. We are a nation with a unique culture, a heritage homeland with thousands of years of history dating back to prehistoric times.”

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It is clearly stated that the island of Sri Lanka is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-lingual, multi-cultural island. Further, the refusal to accept the diversity of the island of Sri Lanka is the root cause of the emergence, sharpening and eventual manifestation of the ethnic problem – actions that destroy the national identity of the Tamil people, obviously ethnic cleansing. The Tamil people first fought non-violently and then in an armed struggle against the genocide by various governments in power.

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UN member states Canada and France have passed resolutions in their councils. Resolution 1230 introduced in the US Congress on 15th May, accepts that Sri Lanka committed genocide against the Tamils and insists that a referendum is necessary. These resolutions are included in the manifesto.

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In Trincomalee, evidence of Tamil heritage has been acknowledged by the Department of Archaeology; yet these areas are being invaded and Sinhalese Buddhists are progressing.

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Thousands of acres of land have been occupied and more than 26 Buddhist temples have been erected in Kuchchaveli. Sinhalese people have been settled into some traditional Tamil villages in the North and East. Many of these violate court orders.

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In Batticaloa land-grabbing is taking place, destroying the cattle-based economy and the livelihood of 3000 families.  Sinhalese farmers are presently occupying the grazing lands with the patronage and protection of the government.  The court rulings have been ignored here as well.

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Excavation of burials in Mullaithivu was not carried out under the supervision of international experts. Since the end of the war, 67 Buddhist temples have been established in Mullaithivu alone, where the ratio of civilians to the military is 2-1. More than 100 army camps have been set up in this district alone.

Kokkachan Kulam, a traditional agricultural settlement of Tamils in Vavuniya district, has been converted into a Sinhalese village, named ‘Kalapopashveva’.

A village named ‘Namalgama’ has been created by settling the people brought from Ambanthodai under the government’s auspices. The Navy is preventing the original Tamil residents from resettling in Mullikulam village.

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Ex-cadres who were released after rehabilitation continue to live under constant threats. The Prohibition of Terrorism Act – PTA, which describes anti-government activities of the Tamil people as terrorism, is used continuously by the security forces to punish Tamils.

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Many Political prisoners have not been released. On the contrary, the arrest of Tamils ​​under the Anti-Terrorism Act has continued. Suppression and threats against human rights activists and political activists continue. The struggle for the disappeared has been going on for years – their kith and kin have received no justice. Ethnic cleansing activities persist throughout the Tamil homeland.

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Fragmentation of the land continuity of the Tamil homeland, reduction of ethnic proportionality, dispossession of land, destruction of Tamil heritage symbols and installation of Sinhalese Buddhist heritage symbols are different forms of structural ethnic cleansing in process.

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Buddhist Monks are at the forefront of aggressive activities against Tamils. They do not respect the law, the court or the police. Soldiers secretly built Buddhist structures at night in the North and East.

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More than 65,000 acres of land in the North and East are occupied by the army.

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The leading Presidential candidates in the South hide the fact that the economic crisis is the result of the ethnic problem. No Southern candidate openly accepts that the economic crisis cannot be solved without solving the ethnic problem. So far, none of the candidates have presented any suitable proposal to solve the ethnic issue.

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During the war, the army’s strength increased to several hundred thousand and 40 percent of Sri Lanka’s GDP is spent on the military. Almost half of the total salaries paid to government officials in Sri Lanka are paid to soldiers. Since the end of the war, there has been no reduction in the army in the North East.

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For the past 46 years, Tamil people have been voting for southern candidates. For more than seven decades, neither the victors nor the vanquished have proposed any acceptable solution to the ethnic issue.

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On this basis, the ‘Tamil National General Structure’ firmly insists that a permanent solution to the ethnic problem should have the following foundations:

Any new created constitution of Sri Lanka should solve the ethnic problem, considering Tamils as a nation with sovereignty and self-determination.

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The new President and the government should ensure that the island of Sri Lanka is built as a plurinational state. Any political solution based on a unitary solution, can never satisfy the legitimate political aspirations of the Tamil people. Regarding this matter, the Tamil people have the right to demand appropriate international arrangements to determine their desired solution.

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The Tamil National General Structure is ready to negotiate with an open mind regarding the legitimate political rights of the Muslim people within the said self-determination.

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The manifesto says that, “We recognise the unique national identity of Up-country/plantation Tamils. ‘Tamil National General Structure’ stands shoulder to shoulder with Up-country/plantation Tamils”.

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The ethnic cleansing, war crimes, and crimes against humanity committed by the Sri Lankan government against the Tamils ​​should be fully and properly investigated and a recognised international judicial structure should provide reparative justice to ensure that acts of ethnic cleansing do not recur.

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For too long, UN accountability proceedings have remained with the Human Rights Council resolutions for which Sri Lanka has shown no respect. Therefore, it is now time for the same to move to the UN General Assembly for international investigations on genocide by the International Criminal Court.

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To prevent land grabbing in the name of development and to prevent our resources from being exploited as part of ethnic cleansing, we need to create self-reliant economic structures that efficiently utilise the national resources of the Tamil homeland without disturbing the balance of nature.

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A special security arrangement under the supervision of the international community should be created for the war-affected Tamil people and the existence of the Tamil nation in the interim period while finding a permanent solution.

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The Tamil people are kindly urged to cast their vote, accepting the position of the above Tamil National General Structure, and the common candidate, Mr. P. Arianetheran under the ‘Conch’ symbol, to reveal their general position to the world and the South.  (End)

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