As the new government of Srisena in Sri Lanka planned and expected, the ONHRC Investigation on Sri Lanka report, mandated by the UNHRC has been postponed to September 2015.
As our brothers and sisters in our homeland show their frustration and anger on this decision and protest demanding the UNHRC to release the report in March as originally decided, we the Tamil youth of the diaspora stand in solidarity with them.
Although it is no surprise at all for the Eelam Tamil nation that such a decision has been taken understanding the level at which the struggle of our nation is politicised, we are nevertheless in utmost disappointment, anger and frustration as our people in the homeland are.
Every year Sri Lanka is on the table of the UNHRC and every year the UN seems to be taking some ‘decisions’ only that in real terms the ‘decisions’ that seem to be taken do not in fact take into consideration the very root of the human rights violations – genocide. Despite other international bodies and the people in the homeland and the diaspora calling to investigate on the crime of genocide, the International Community continues to take this stand.
However, the Eelam Tamil nation has never backed up on the calls to investigate on the genocide and the recent Northern Provincial Council (NPC) resolution passed unanimously further proves this. The NPC called for the ‘real international investigations on genocide against Tamils committed by the successive government since Ceylon’s independence from the British in 1948’. The Chief Minister also called for ‘criminal prosecutions at the International Criminal Court (ICC) and urged the on-going OISL to investigate the claim of genocide’. Despite such a strong call from a democratic body representing the Tamil people in the homeland, the UNHRC has made the decision to postpone the report. Thus, it becomes clear once again how the International Community fails to protect the Tamils.
Nevertheless, our brothers and sisters in the homeland (Jaffna University Students’ Union alongside the Professors Union and the people in the homeland), have strongly rejected this decision and plan to protest against it. Therefore, we the Tamil Youth Organisation UK, a representative of the youth of the Tamil diaspora, convey our solidarity to our people in the homeland.
We stand hand-in-hand with our brothers and sisters and demand the UN to release the OISL report in March as decided originally, with no further delays, including to investigate on the claim of ongoing genocide perpetrated by the state of Sri Lanka from 1948.
In addition to this, we the Tamil youth in the diaspora also demand:
- The International Community to stop the ongoing genocide by the state of Sri Lanka and prevent the annihilation of the Eelam Tamil nation, and
- An internationally monitored referendum based on the principles of nation, homeland and the right to self-determination, where the Tamils in the diaspora and the homeland are able to freely and democratically advocate our political aspirations.
We will continue to advocate for the rights of our Eelam Tamil nation, as democratically mandated, call to stop the ongoing genocide of our people in the homeland and continue the struggle for the freedom of Tamil Eelam.