[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 June 2012, 19:20 GMT]
Mu’l’livaaykkaal was only a beginning for the Sinhala State and its
international abetters to perpetuate genocide of Eezham Tamils to suit
overlapping agendas. After three years of Colombo’s accelerated
structural genocide facilitated by the international community of
establishments, the Tamil leaders in the island have once again voiced
an SOS in unison on Tuesday, appealing to global Tamils and global
community of humanity, to intervene and save their nation from
militarised annihilation. Gagged, but experiencing the realities of the
hoodwink of ‘post-war reconciliation,’ the voices coming from the island
show better clarity and bearing, compared to the hijacked diaspora
confused over where to address the issue and a Tamil Nadu leadership
silent after a resolution that doesn’t address fundamental solutions,
political observers in the island said.
Leaders and representatives
of different political parties, TNA, TNPF, TULF, DPF and Sinhala
representatives of USP and NSSP along with affected Tamil civilians
staged a demonstration at Thirumu'rika'ndi in Vanni on Tuesday against
land grab and militarised annihilation of the nation of Eezham Tamils.
While
on one hand the agent State in Colombo is engaged in genocidal land
grab, its international abettors on the other, aim for large scale land
grab in the island. In the process, they facilitate each other.
What
is now voiced in the island is in sharp contrast to what the
parliamentarians of New Delhi, section of Chennai based media, former
peace facilitators and international crisis managers at the behest of
the US Establishment try to hoodwink the world public opinion and try to
blunt the struggling spirit of the diaspora, the political observers in
the island said.
Extracts of the speeches made by the leaders
of the demonstration along with their voice recordings, are given here
for the diaspora, Tamils in Tamil Nadu and the global community of
humanity to grasp what is happening in the island and to plan out an
appropriate global strategy to meet the situation:
Selvarajah Kajendren (TNPF):
Selvarajah Kajendren at Thirumu'rika'ndi on 26 June 2012 by TamilNet“Sri Lankan forces have occupied our homes and lands disabling our people to lead a peaceful life in their own homeland.
“Under
the smokescreen of constructing military camps and the so-called
development, Tamils' lands are appropriated and handed over to military
establishment on one side and for Sinhala [corporate] investment on the
other side.
“Sinhala fishermen are brought in, depriving the
Tamil fishermen from engaging in their livelihood and forcing them to
leave their coast.
“The reason for establishing large Sinhala
military cantonments here is nothing else than scheming large Sinhala
settlements in the near future.
“During the times of the war,
throughout the last three decades, such appropriation was stalled. The
attempts to make Buddhist Stupas and colonies were heavily contained
till May 2009. Therefore, Sinhala people are reluctant to embark on
colonisation schemes. That is why the Sri Lankan state is scheming to
militarise the lands under the iron fist control of its military to
facilitate large scale Sinhala colonisation in future.
“This is why a situation not conducive for the resettlement of Tamils in their own lands is being maintained.
“It
is in this light we should see the way the people who had come here to
Thirumu'rika'ndi were brutally attacked and forcefully evacuated
yesterday by the Sri Lankan military.
“In complete contrast to
this situation, the Sinhalese people from South are encouraged in all
possible ways to visit the North and East. Resting places, refreshing
arrangements and toilets are constructed along the road to facilitate
comfort for the touring Sinhalese while Tamils residing here deprived of
basic facilities in resettlement. On top of all, the military is let
loose on those who demand resettlement.
“The SL military
personnel are stationed all over places to give guidance to the visiting
Sinhalese. It shows the care taken by the Sri Lankan State in
psychologically preparing the Sinhala masses for settlement in Tamil
areas.
“The Sri Lankan State is moving fast forward with the agenda of making the entire island Sinhala Buddhist.
“Rajapaksa government is not alone on this agenda.
“There
are also international establishments backing the trend with a
different motive. The international forces that wish to prepare a new
regime for installation in Colombo to replace the Rajapaksa regime, are
also deceitful with promoting the same agenda on a different track.
“Regardless of who is in power in Colombo, the fate of Tamils is going to be the same. We should realise this first.
“The
only way forward is to be firm in demanding these forces to recognise
that an integrated North-East is a Tamil Nation. Such recognition should
come from the International Community.
“So, the Tamil National
Alliance, which has been elected by the Tamil people, should be sharp in
pinpointing this fact to the International Community.
“We
welcome what the TNA has emphasized here in this protest. We thank Mr
Sritharan for having organised this protest, resisting all the
impediments under the prevailing conditions of subjugation here. While
the land grab was going on for the past two and a half years, for the
first time on June 18 the TNPF organised a protest in Jaffna. Mr
Sritharan came forward on his own giving his support to that protest.
The trend set there continued in Thellippazhai and has expanded to this
stage today.
“If this struggle is to be successful, the
sovereignty of the Tamil Nation should be recognised. The TNA
leadership should take this principle forward in an official way to the
International Community.
“Not only that. It is impossible to
arrive at any meaningful solution through the 13th Amendment. The
argument that it is diplomatic to demand implementation of 13th
Amendment is not at all going to serve the Tamil cause.
“So,
what we demand rightfully and kindly from the TNA on behalf of the Tamil
people is not to get into the trap of the 13th Amendment or any
devolution within the path of the unitary state model of Sri Lanka.
“Recognition
of the sovereignty of the Tamil Nation and the recognition of the Right
to Self Determination of the Tamil Nation should be the basis of the
political programme of the TNA.
“The Parliamentary Select
Committee (PSC) is not going to be the way to achieve a solution. It
will only give recognition to the agenda of the Sri Lankan State. A Sri
Lankan Minister has now asked that if the Tamils have been waiting for a
solution all the 60 years and why can't they wait another 6 months. Why
don't you try the PSC, he asked.
“They know very well that a
UNHRC Session is going to take place in October. To overcome the
challenges at these sessions the SL State is attempting to woo the TNA
into PSC and showcase that they are committed to a solution. The 6
months talk is only a tactic on their part.
“Realising these
political realities, the TNA should work towards a permanent solution
and clearly reject that any roadmap along the lines of the 13th
Amendment is not going to be the basis. Likewise, the TNA should also
realise that it cannot facilitate in any way to resolve the conflict by
contesting the Provincial Elections in North or East. It will only give
recognition to a wrong road map.
“The TNPF therefore seeks a
principled stand from the TNA while assuring that we will take part in
the protests against the land grab. We will extend our full support to
the struggle being waged in this way.”
Mano Ganesan (DPF):
Mano Ganesan at Thirumu'rika'ndi on 26 June 2012 by TamilNet“I
thank our friend Mr Sritharan and to the other TNA parliamentarians for
having arranged an excellent opportunity to express our protest. We
have all, the TNA, the TNPF, the NSSP, USP the DPF and the people who
participated here have given a clear message to the Sri Lankan
government: “Our lands belong to us; Our soil belongs to us; Our sea
belongs to us. Decently hand over our soil to us and pack your way,” is
the message given to the Sri Lankan government and the Sri Lankan
President.
“The message that we have brought here, in front of
this Pi'l'laiyaar temple in Thirumu'rika'ndi, will reach the whole world
through the media. We learn already that the message is reaching the
World. This is a democratic message delivered in a Satyagraha way. The
International Community and the Sri Lankan government should interpret
the message in the right context.
“The Tamil leaders have
clearly expressed to the Sri Lankan government that they are prepared to
live in an undivided Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan government should
understand this and provide the rightful recognition of the Tamil
people. ‘United’ cannot mean that people have to live in subjugated
condition under the rule of a majoritarian race. The foremost
pre-condition to unity is equality.
“Equality means comes though
respecting the right to the lands and the soil of the people. No race
could lead a dignified life in their soil, after losing its right to the
land.
“We will take part in this struggle, which should take
place all over the North and East. This struggle should also reach the
Up-Country and the South.
“We heard slogans in Sinhala language
here from our friend, Sritunga Jayasuriya. He said ‘thiyav thiyav, ape
idam apita thiyav’. This should be a sharp message to Mahinda
Rajapaksa.”
S. Sritharan (ITAK, TNA):
“The people of Thirumu'rika'ndi were beaten up and were taken away
crying, by the military which has forcefully removed them away from
here. Nobody knows where the people are being kept. There should be a
day when the people here can breathe freely, again.
Mavai Senathiraja (ITAK, TNA):
Sritharan and Mavai Senathirajah at Thirumu'rika'ndi by TamilNet“We
pray in front of Thirumu'rika'ndi Pi'l'laiyaar temple urging the Sri
Lankan State, the International Community and the UN Human Rights
Council (UNHRC).
“Our people have been traditionally living in
their soil for ages. They were evicted from their homes during the war.
Even after the conclusion of the war, the Sri Lankan military continues
to occupy our houses while thousands of destroyed houses are yet to be
reconstructed.
“The military is staying in the agricultural
lands and in the territorial fishing waters, cheating the World by
waging a campaign that they have released the properties of the people
—without revealing the figures. They have seized thousands of acres of
lands, where people have been living for generations and to which they
have documents in the forms of land deeds and permits.
“In these lands, the military is now constructing Buddhist stupas or military camps, transforming their nature.
“Demographic
pattern of our homeland is being changed by the military, the State and
the Buddhist monks in collaboration. This systematic act is intended to
deprive us of our claim to the Right to Self Determination. They are
taking us through a destructive path. This occupation aims at destroying
our cultural identity, taking away our lands from us and depriving our
democratic rights. In totality, our people are denied their right to
life, which means that the State, its military and Buddhist monks are
committing genocide.
“Government officials are being pressurized
by the military to legally appropriate the lands. The Governor is
collaborating with the State. It is clear that a government agenda is
behind all this.
“We are raising our voices under these
conditions by staging these protests as token protests at local level,
where these injustices occur. The next protest would be held in Mannaar,
I hope.
“In the meantime, we have planned to convene a
conference on the topic of the right to life (Vaazhvurimai maanaadu). We
will invite all party members, human rights activists, defenders of
democracy, and progressive forces to this conference.
“Yesterday,
the military has forcefully evacuated the people who had been brought
here promising resettlement. They were attacked by the military. Now,
their whereabouts are not known. The question is who gave these rights
to the military [to arrest and transport] the civilians.
“The Sri Lankan State is answerable to these acts by the military.
“Our demand is therefore that the military should leave from our lands. The matter of military camps is secondary.
“The
military should leave our soil. We should govern our soil. We will
inform the International Community after resolving this in unison at a
conference. We will inform the outcome to the UN. We will also inform
the government. Our target is to expand this struggle till we can remove
the dominance of the military in our affairs.”
Mr Senathiraja
concluded his address by welcoming similar protests by the Tamil
diaspora and by urging the diaspora to continue to bring attention to
the burning issue.
Suresh Premachandran (EPRLF, TNA):
Suresh Premachandran at Thirumu'rika'ndi on 26 June 2012 by TamilNet“What
is taking place in the North and the East is exactly similar to how the
Palestinian soil was appropriated by the Israelis.
“First, they
seized the territory, then they appropriate lands and after that they
start Sinhala colonies. Currently, we see in all the districts [of
North] such as Mullaiththeevu, Mannaar, Vavuniyaa, Jaffna and
Ki'linochchi and in the district of Trincomalee [in the East], there are
reports of mass-scale militarisation.
“This is not being
carried out because the military lacks space. This is taking place
according to a systematic programme of the Sri Lankan government to make
the Tamils a numerical minority in the Tamil districts. This is taking
place to reduce the density of the Tamil population.
“This is
what Israel did. After chasing out the Palestinian people and making
them a minority in their land, they allowed Palestinians to settle only
in random pockets of settlements. We witness today a large number of
Palestinians who were forced into exile in Syria, in Lebanon and
throughout the entire World. The same Israeli method is being applied
here.
“We cannot allow this to happen. We should not allow to be
chased out of our country. The North and East belong to the people of
the region. Until they bring their own lands into their full control,
until the military leaves from here, until the Tamil people are able to
live in a democratic environment — If you see around you, military
intelligence personnel are everywhere, they will be blocking you from
attending the protests, they will continue to abduct people in white
vans and liquidate them, they will continue to attack using waste-oil.
The military has taken contract to carry out all these things here.
“This
situation needs to be changed so that Tamil people could live freely in
their soil, expressing freely their opinion in speech in a manner they
could cherish their cultural heritage and identity.
“So, this
struggle will not end here in Thirumu'rika'ndi, it will continue in
Mannaar, Mullaiththeevu, Trincomalee and in Batticaloa, integrating the
Tamils of North-East with the Muslims and the Upcountry Tamils bringing
them all together.
“The coconuts we are going to break (chitha'ru
theangkaay) today in front of Thirumu'rika'ni Pi'l'laiyaar temple will
break the Sri Lankan regime,” Mr Premachandran vowed.
M.K. Sivajilingam (TELO, TNA):
MK Sivajilingam at Thirumu'rika'ndi 26 June 2012 by TamilNet“The
significance of this protest is the united action and the solidarity it
has received. The TNPF launched the protest in Jaffna inviting all. It
was blocked by a court order. Then, TNA announced the protest in
Thellippazhai, which was attended by the TNPF and the parties from South
like the DPF. Also today, accepting the invitation of the TNA, the
southern parties of solidarity, the USP leader Sritunga Jayasuria, the
comrades of NSSP led by Dr Vickramabahu Karunaratna and the leaders and
representatives of the DPF led by Mano Ganesan have come here.
“And,
also the participation of the General Secretary of the TNPF, S
Kajendren, has given a clear message to the Sri Lankan Government.
While you continue to suppress and occupy, unity will be strengthened
among us. We will move forward with renewed strength is the message.
“After
the drama, staged in the name of resettlement by the parliamentarian
Namal Rajapaksa who is the son of president Mahinda Rajapaksa, had
failed, the military harassed yesterday the people who were here. The
people refused to accept the offer. They were attacked in uncivilised
manner by the military and were taken away in four buses. No body knows
their whereabouts till now. Those who are in the island and the global
community should clearly understand now the way the ‘resettlement’ is
taking place. This act alone illustrates that our people are being
treated much worse than the dogs.
“Like the Jewish settlements
in Palestine are based upon a Zionist thinking, they are attempting to
create Sinhala settlements with an ideology of Sinhala Buddhist
chauvinism.
“Many thousands of acres of land are being
appropriated in our homeland to create military cantonments and Sinhala
settlements. We have to block this. We will continue this struggle and
we seek all possible support from our people. The International
Community should be awakened. The struggle should continue until we can
govern our homeland is my message to the Sri Lankan rulers.
“If
you are really interested in what you describe as ‘national
reconciliation’, come up with a political solution. Continuing to
subjugate the people, continuing to keep political prisoners jailed, you
can't go forward. Even after releasing Sarth Fonseka describing him as
political prisoner, our people in the prisons are not released.
“In
1971 and in 1980 the Sri Lankan state gave general amnesty twice to the
JVP insurgents. But there has been no such amnesty given to Tamils. The
International Community should realise this.
“The struggle
will continue till we are able to lead a life as equal people with
parity with the others in the island. No body, including this
government, could suppress our struggle. We will create a Tamil State
(Thamizh Arasu).”
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