Call for Diaspora Boycott

by Anonymous, September 22, 2006

Dear Friend,

Are we helping the Sri Lankan government to destroy our own people?

Has it ever occurred to many of us that we could indeed be helping the Sri Lankan Government to buy arms abroad, with foreign reserves built up through our use/purchase of goods and services from Sri Lanka, to destroy our own people?

The main sources of such reserves come from

• the use of airline services,

• tourism

• remittances, foreign accounts in Sri Lankan banks and rupee accounts

• purchase of commodities.

In immediately dealing with this, we have three options:

• firstly to keep quiet and let things go as they have been,

• secondly, to stop using these services with immediate effect and

• thirdly, to take immediate steps to minimise our use of these wherever feasible and gradually decrease using these until we reach a point where we can completely do without them.

One would imagine that the most practical course of action would  be the third option.

In implementing this option we could take  the following  steps:

• Avoid using Sri Lankan and affiliated airlines in flying to Sri Lanka and visit Sri Lanka only when it is absolutely necessary. After all, why should we go to Sri Lanka when the trip is fraught with so many dangers, such as unlawful arrests, disappearances, detentions, impounding of passports, etc.?

• Besides being a haven for paedophiles, Sri Lanka today has nothing to offer. It should be the last tourist destination that we and our friends and relatives should choose. It is an excellent opportunity to visit other, more welcoming countries. Sri Lanka is a country with a complete breakdown in law and order. There is so much corruption that one has to bribe the police and the army at every turn, a heavy price for being a Tamil.

• No doubt we have to, in many cases remit monies to parents and other relatives. However, we need not send into the country more than what is absolutely necessary. The excess money could be held in banks in the countries where we now live. As there is a danger of accounts being frozen, we should immediately withdraw deposits in foreign accounts to be remitted back to the countries where we now live.

We could consider alternative means of remitting funds, as they are cheaper than through the Sri Lankan banking system.

If we all act concertedly, we can all make a substantial breakthrough in this area. Let us make a start now.

Yours in solidarity,

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