Pongku Thamizh event in Geneva urges global Tamils to uphold struggle

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 September 2012, 03:18 GMT]
Diaspora Tamils should focus their full efforts in demanding the United Nation to conduct a plebiscite among the Tamil speaking people in the Tamil homeland, told Professor Giuseppe Burgio from the University of Palermo, Italy, at the Pongku Thamizh rally held Saturday in front of the United Nations Office in Geneva in Switzerland. More than 3,500 Tamil activists across Europe gathered in Geneva to assert their resolve to uphold the struggle for the independence of the nation of Eezham Tamils. A group of mayors and lawyers from France appeared in the stage vowing their support to Eezham Tamils' Right to Self Determination and international legal efforts that sought to pave the way forward. Norwegian Red party politician Stian Nicolajsen told the gathering that his party would extend full support to Tamils' independence.

A meaningful peace could only be achieved when Tamils gain their long desired freedom, Nicolajsen told the gathering.

The Italian professor in his address said that the Tamils have a long history spanning thousands of years. It is only a matter of time before the Tamil flag is flown in the UN assembly, declared.

Tamils from France came to the event in large numbers hiring a train, news sources in Geneva told TamilNet.

Apart from the attendance of progressive forces from France, Germany, Norway, Italy and UK, the rally has also brought together youth activists who have been in the forefront in mobilising the masses in the diaspora.

The Tamil activists raised issues of land-grabs, militarization and colonization of the Tamil homeland and the release of Eezham Tamil prisoners of war. They also called for a complete rejection of any solution based on the LLRC report, alleging that it was a product of the "genocidal intent" of the Sri Lankan state.

A total of nine grassroot diaspora organizations further urged the member states to take action in the 21st session of the UNHRC based on five immediate measures.

1. Accept the existence of a historic homeland of Eelam Tamils, respect Eelam Tamils as a nation of people, and facilitate them to exercise sovereignty over their homeland.
2. Take immediate measures to halt genocide of Eelam Tamils in their homeland by the Sri Lankan military.
3. Reject the report of the LLRC, identify the genocidal intent underlining its report, and implement the recommendations of the UN Experts Panel by immediately initiating an independent, international investigation into all violations of international law, including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, by Sri Lanka.
4. Note the genocidal pattern of the land grabs, order withdrawal of Sri Lankan military from Eelam Tamil land and cease funding of colonisation programmes carried out under guise of economic development.
5. Recognise that surrendered cadres of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) served in the defense or civil structures of a de-facto state and as such they are prisoners of war under appropriate international legal mechanisms; ensure Sri Lanka accepts this legal recognition and the UN initiates a process of repatriation.

The slogan for this year's Pongku Thamizh event was "We demand our land".

US music group boycotts Sri Lanka event

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 June 2012, 10:52 GMT]
Big Mountain, a US-based reggae music group with origins from San Diego, declined an invitation from Sri Lanka to participate in a reggae festival to be held in Colombo. The band, which was named Big Mountain, in protest to colonization by Europe, said in a statement that they "feel that to play a concert of this type, at this moment in time, would help to gloss over or legitimate conditions of systemic violence that have transpired in that region and towards indigenous populations in particular."

Full text of the official statement released by the Band follows:

OFFICIAL STATEMENT BY BIG MOUNTAIN
BOYCOTT OF SRI LANKA

The name of our band, Big Mountain, derives from a struggle that pitted two Native American communities against one another in a struggle over a sacred piece of land. That struggle was being manipulated by a large and powerful mining corporation in search of profit and at the expense of all native peoples of the region. Troubled by that manipulation and inspired by the struggles of our own Native American ancestors to resist the oppression of European colonizers and wealthy corporations, we recorded a song of the same name and that contained the chorus of “on top of Big Mountain, there is no room for Babylon.” By that, we meant that there is another way, a de-colonial ethic, a way to live that is not entangled within the perpetual war, violence, exploitation, and environmental degradation that was introduced in the western hemisphere by European colonizers.

We were recently invited to perform songs like Big Mountain at a reggae festival in Sri Lanka. We were encouraged by this invitation as it provided yet another opportunity for us to share our de-colonial message with our brothers and sisters in humanity. We are declining this invitation, however, due to our concern with the violence that has transpired there as of late and that has been described as part of Sri Lanka’s “civil war.” Whilst we would be honored to help convey a message of peace and reconciliation, we also feel that to play a concert of this type, at this moment in time, would help to gloss over or legitimate conditions of systemic violence that have transpired in that region and towards indigenous populations in particular.

According to Wikipedia, Big Mountain was an American reggae/pop band, most famous for their cover version of Peter Frampton's "Baby, I Love Your Way," which became a Top 10 hit single in the U.S. in early 1994 reaching number 6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, number-one on Mainstream Top 40, and number 2 in the UK shortly afterwards.

The original line-up including Joaquin McWhinney "Quino," vocals, Jerome Cruz, guitar, Gregory Blakney, drums, Lance Rhodes, drums, Manfred Reinke, keyboards, and Lynn Copeland, bass guitar.

External Links:

BM:		Boycott of Sri Lanka
Wiki:		Big Mountain