Tamil organisations across the world called on the international community to recognise that both candidates in the Sri Lankan presidential election have rejected a United Nations investigation into mass atrocities and offered no political solution to the Tamil people.

In a joint New Year message, 63 organisations pledged to work towards “dignity, freedom, justice, and peace” for the Tamil nation, adding they were hopeful the upcoming United Nations investigation into mass atrocities “will lead to accountability and remedial justice for genocide, war-crimes, and crimes against humanity committed against the Tamil people.”

The statement went on to add,

“As the Sinhala leaders campaign for the next Sri Lankan Presidential election scheduled for January 8th 2015, the International Community should be cognizant of the belligerent declarations by both major Sinhala candidates against the OISL investigation."

"Notably, neither has offered any political solution to the Tamils. As has been the unfortunate history of Sinhala dominated Sri Lankan political landscape, both candidates are re-enforcing the permanent and unassailable Sinhala ethnic majoritarianism in marginalizing and disempowering the Tamils. We believe, changing the nature of the state, not just a change in government, is the viable path to genuine democracy and permanent peace in the island.”

Organisations from across 17 different countries signed the statement, including student groups, political parties and various civil society members.

See the statement in full produced below.

Joint New Year Message from World-wide Tamil Organizations and Entities: A Solemn Pledge to Work for Justice, Protection, and Freedom of the Tamil People

January 01, 2015

On this New Year’s Day, January 1, 2015, Tamil organizations and entities around the world pledge our renewed commitment to bring dignity, freedom, justice, and peace to our Tamil brethren living in the occupied North-East region constituting the Tamil Nation in the island of Sri Lanka. We are united in our quest for freedom for our people who have been oppressed by successive Sri Lankan regimes.

We thank the International Community for leading and supporting the Resolution at the March 2014 Session of the UNHRC, which initiated the investigation by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for violations of human rights and related crimes against the Tamil people. We are hopeful that the OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL) will lead to accountability and remedial justice for genocide, war-crimes, and crimes against humanity committed against the Tamil people.

As the Sinhala leaders campaign for the next Sri Lankan Presidential election scheduled for January 8th2015, the International Community should be cognizant of the belligerent declarations by both major Sinhala candidates against the OISL investigation. Notably, neither has offered any political solution to the Tamils. As has been the unfortunate history of Sinhala dominated Sri Lankan political landscape, both candidates are re-enforcing the permanent and unassailable Sinhala ethnic majoritarianism in marginalizing and disempowering the Tamils. We believe, changing the nature of the state, not just a change in government, is the viable path to genuine democracy and permanent peace in the island.

Since the end of the war in May 2009, Sri Lanka has engaged in accelerated destruction of the Tamil Nation including forced demographic changes, illegal occupation of lands belonging to Tamils, disrupting religious ceremonies and destruction of places of worship, assault on press freedom, continuing disappearances and torture, and suffocating military occupation, all perpetuating the genocide.

Under these circumstances, we call upon the International Community to urgently bring about an interim-mechanism to protect the Tamil people from these genocidal activities by Sri Lanka, and to create the conditions for the Tamil people to exercise their right to self-determination via a referendum to decide their political future.

At this propitious time of year, we call for a peaceful world thriving with justice, equality and freedom for all.

63. Young Tamil Nadu Movement - Tamil Nadu, India