A collective of Tamil organisations have spoken out against a declaration signed by the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) and Sinhala Buddhist clergy, which was shortly followed by a meeting with Sri Lanka’s former President, and accused war criminal, Mahinda Rajapaksa.
In a joint statement, the collective of Tamil organisations labelled the initiative as “treacherous” writing:
‘The treacherous initiative by a few individuals from GTF and its colluders is a despicable attempt to shield Sri Lanka from the international community and UNHRC scrutiny under the pretense of negotiating with imposters!”
The statement also claimed that whilst the GTF was formed to represent Tamils, the umbrella organisation had been “undemocratically hijacked by a few individuals and deviated from the legitimate and fundamental aspirations of the Tamil people”. This resulted in all organisations except the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) and Norwegian Tamil Forum (NTF) disbanding from the group.
The statement further slammed both the GTF and CTC highlighting both organisations “have refused to advocate for the genocide committed or the legitimate and fundamental aspirations of the Tamil people, thus abandoning the Tamil people they claim to represent”.
The collective statement details how several Tamil organisations continued to campaign for the legitimate aspirations of the Tamil people. It further highlights that Tamils on the island continue to struggle under the thumb of increasing militarisation, Sinhala land grabs and abuse from the Sri Lankan police.
The statement further adds that:
“Successive leadership, including the current one in Sri Lanka, came to power vowing to protect every Sinhala soldier responsible for crimes committed against Tamil people. Therefore, no one can expect Sri Lanka to pursue any form of genuine justice for the genocide committed against the Tamil people nor deliver a permanent political solution that fulfils the legitimate aspirations of the Tamil people”.
The statement concludes by calling on the international community to disregard GTF’s initiative. They stress the need to deliver justice for the genocide committed and “find a long-lasting political solution based on the recognition of the Tamil People’s right to self-determination”.
It was signed by the International Council of Eelam Tamils (ICET) and endorsed by the following organisations:
-
National Council of Canadian Tamils - (Canada)
-
Norwegian Council of Eelam Tamils (Norway)
-
Italian Council of Tamils (Italy)
-
Council of Eelam Tamils in Germany (Germany)
-
National Council of New Zealand Tamils (New Zealand)
-
Dutch Tamil Forum (Netherland)
-
Tamil Cultural Centre Belgium (Belgium)
-
Finland Tamil Forum (Finland)
-
National Council of Sweden Tamils (Sweden)
-
Campaign for Tamil Justice (Australia)
-
Danish Federation of Tamil Associations (Denmark)
-
Maison du Tamil Eelam France (France)
-
Swiss Council of Eelam Tamils (Switzerland)
-
Council of Eelam Tamils - UK (United Kingdom)
-
Tamil Movement Against Genocide (Mauritius)
-
Solidarity Group for Peace and Justice in Sri Lanka (South Africa)
See the full statement below.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
