Thousands of Diaspora Eezham Tamils gathered in several cities across
the globe on Friday marking Tamil Eelam Heroes Day and passed a sharp
message to the unitary State of Sri Lanka and to the powers that steer
the UN discourse to whitewash the genocidal State through perfunctory
investigations and biased presentations of past crimes for their
geopolitical benefits. Eezham Tamils were already aware of the nexus
between New Delhi and Colombo. Now, Tamils have also realised the real
nature of the smoke-screen discourses in Geneva and New York, which have
actualized the ‘US-Sri Lanka consensus resolution’ upholding the
Colombo-centric unitary State of Sri Lanka. Eezham Tamil activists of
the first- and second-generation diaspora responded with direct messages
to the US-Colombo nexus at Oslo in Norway and at Fribourg in
Switzerland.
No one can deceive Tamils with the talk of good governance or freedom of
expression as having returned to the island until Colombo repeals the
6th Amendment [Article 157A], Murali Sivanandan, the coordinator of
Tamil Coordinating Committee (TCC) in Norway, proclaimed in a special
address delivered at the Heroes Day event in Oslo.

Tamil Eelam Heroes Day observed at Fribourg in Switzerland

TCC Coordinator in Norway Murali Sivanandan addressing the event at Oslo
“We don't regard the lifting of the
ban on Tamil diaspora organisations as a meaningful measure until the
6th Amendment remains in force as part of the unitary constitution of
Sri Lanka,” Mr Sivanandan said. His address was critical of powers that
have committed historical injustice on the nation of Eezham Tamils. The
Norwegian conduct during the peace process was of a dubious nature, the
activist with EROS background in the homeland from early 1980s said.
Sivanandan was associated with legal diasporic-LTTE activities for more
than two decades as a TCC activist in Norway.
The Tamil
diaspora remains united on the long-term goal, he said. Sivanandan's
address concluded that time has come for Tamil diaspora activists and
organisations to earnestly collaborate and conceive of a practical
strategy to carry forward the Tamil struggle without taking a
pro-Establishment line.

A section of the participants at Tamil Eelam Heroes Day, held in Oslo on 27 November 2015

Tamil diaspora legal activist Lathan Suntharalingam addressing Heroes Day event at Fribourg, Switzerland
Likewise, Lathan Suntheralingam, a
post-2009 legal activist of the second-generation who has contributed to
the shaping of Tamil diaspora activism in the recent years, urged the
second-generation diaspora activists to respond to the challenges posed
by the powers by boldly articulating their views against the injustices
that have been committed by the powers. The slips of the powers were
showing, especially after 2009, he said.
The second-generation
Eezham Tamil diaspora activists should learn about Latin American
revolutionary leader Ernesto Che Guevara who sacrificed his life in 1967
at the age of 39. He had a vision for the independence of entire Latin
America. Eezham Tamils should see how the people of Latin America
preserved his charismatic leadership in achieving their individuality in
modern politics, he said. The Eezham Tamils have to cherish the
positive sides of the Tamil struggle and take forward the international
dimensions of the struggle for the betterment of humanity, he said.
Establishments reinforce the dispossessed and the oppressed to imagine
themselves as victims, and this approach would lead the Tamils to become
subservient to the Sinhala people, Lathan told the audience.

“Ezhuchchi nadanam” at Maaveerar naa'l, Fribourg, Switzerland
The second-generation
should also learn about the Ibo people who waged a powerful independence
struggle for Biafra and how they lost their cause through famine and
surrender. Even the Ibo people of Biafra heritage didn't wish to see
Eezham Tamil fighters to surrender like the Ibo fighters were forced to
do in 1970. The LTTE fighters didn't surrender the sovereignty of Eezham
Tamils at Mu'l'ivaaykkaal, Mr Suntharalingam said urging the Tamil
diaspora activists to learn the past struggles, build upon the positive
sides and compare the conduct of leaders and fighters involved in the
struggle.
Both speakers mentioned the shocking sacrifice by the
18-year-old Senthuran Rajeswaran in Jaffna, who committed suicide
demanding immediate release of Tamil political prisoners and the way he
had expressed his desire for Tamil Eelam.
If Tamils continued to
remain as victims and were unable to conceive a positive way of taking
forward their struggle, they will likely witness more tragic decisions
as the one taken by Senthuran, Mr Suntharalingam warned.
The
younger generation in the Tamil diaspora should prepare to boldly
articulate their views to persons representing the big-powers such as
John Kerry, the US Secretary of State and Samantha Power, the US
Ambassador to UN, he added.

“Angchali nadanam” at Maaveerar naa'l, Oslo, Norway
Norway was involved in
brokering the peace process between the Government of Sri Lanka and the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) taking a mediator role as has
been the past practice.
Switzerland is currently involved in
backing the Singapore principles oriented (2013) secret discourse, which
has been steered through South Africa based facilitation.
However,
the Tamil activists in these two countries are not bound by the EU ban
on the LTTE, which has been used to contain the voices of Tamil
activists in the free diaspora.
Eezham Tamils participated in
large numbers in the Heroes Day events held across several cities of
Europe, North America, New Zealand and Australia on Friday.

A section of the participants at Fribourg