Your Excellencies, Honorable Members of the UN Human Rights Council, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am an elected
Member of Northern Provincial Council in Sri Lanka, and I stand here
today in front of you as a voice of the victimized Tamil people in Sri
Lanka.
I would like to
take this opportunity to thank and appreciate all of you and the
International Community for tirelessly working to bring justice to the
Tamil people. I would like to thank specifically the U.S., other
sponsors and supporting countries for bringing the resolutions on Sri
Lanka at the UNHRC in 2012 and 2013 and their continued leadership in
ensuring justice to the victims. Having gone through more than 65 years
of injustice and violence by successive governments of Sri Lanka, Tamil
people are fully aware that neither justice nor political-solution will
reach us without the direct and active involvement of the International
Community and the UN. https://drive.google.com/?authuser=0&usp=gmail#my-drive
Hundreds of
thousands of Tamil victims are seeking justice for their loved ones that
were brutally and systematically killed. They want to know why a
government that is supposed to protect their people bombed and killed
them. Thousands of Tamil women and children desperately want to know
what happened to their husbands and fathers that surrendered to the Sri
Lankan military. Thousands of grieving mothers want to know where their
children are. Thousands of anxious orphans wonder if their parents will
ever be returning. They all are searching for answers. You can help
them. Only you can help find the truth and give them justice and
closure.
You gave Sri Lanka
the last 5 years to do the investigation, find the truth, and give
justice to the victims, but they have proven it to you that they will
not be able to do any of those. Sri Lanka’s lack of interest, and
insincerity and above all the complete absence of political will is
crystal clear. Instead of working on accountability and justice, Sri
Lanka has chosen to hide behind the curtain of sovereignty and
non-interference. But when a country fails its own people, the victims
count on the International Community and the UN. The voiceless Tamils
are counting on you. You are their only hope.
As a Member of
Northern Provincial Council I proposed a resolution two months ago,
reflecting the will of our people. As you may know the Northern
Provincial Council adopted that resolution calling for an “Independent
International Investigation for the war-crimes, crimes against humanity,
ethnic-cleansing, and the mass killings tantamount to Genocide”
committed against the Tamil people.
The victims have
spoken and their voice is clear. We have waited a long time for justice,
and the forensic evidence is disappearing by the day. I plead with you
to bring a Commission of Inquiry to investigate war crimes, crimes
against humanity, Genocide, and all other violations and crimes against
the Tamil people. Our Chief Minister Hon Judge C.V. Wigneswaran and the
leader of my political party Tamil National Alliance Hon. R. Sampanthan
along with Archbishop Tutu and many prominent global personalities have
last week called for a Commission of Inquiry for the crimes against the
Tamil people.
Thanks to the
UNHRC, the Northern Provincial Council has been set up last year, but
the Chief Minister is unable to appoint even a secretary to the Council.
The Council is unable to properly function. Although the war has ended
in Sri Lanka, the conflict continues and the root cause of the conflict
has not been addressed or resolved. We request your help to find an
internationally mediated political solution.
The Government of
Sri Lanka often talks about reconciliation, but I would like to let you
know that there is no reconciliation taking place in Sri Lanka. Sri
Lanka has done nothing meaningful towards reconciliation, instead
involved in land grabs, settlements, demographic changes, military
occupation, coercive contraceptive methods and ongoing human rights
violations. All of these are aimed at breaking down the Tamil Nation.
The government continues to systematically dismantle the social,
cultural, economic and political space of the Tamil Nation in the North
and East. The more time and space that Sri Lanka is given, the worse the
situation becomes on the ground. We are facing threats to our own
existence as Tamil people. We request your urgent help in setting up an
International Mechanism to halt these activities that threaten our
fundamental rights.
Without justice and an equitable political solution, reconciliation
can’t begin.
· On
behalf of my oppressed people I plead for an independent international
investigative mechanism in the form of Commission of Inquiry in the
resolution this time, to investigate all the violations and crimes
committed against the Tamil people prior to, during, and after the war.
Only a Commission of Inquiry can ensure the necessary mandate, resources
and direction needed for this.
· I
plead with you to include a call for finding a political solution as
part of the resolution that addresses the root cause of the conflict and
provides permanent relief to the Tamil people from the oppression of
the Sri Lankan state.
Thank you
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