Can Tamil National Alliance claim Genocide and Colonization

At some point in time throughout the past decade or so members of the Tamil National Alliance have been very liberal in the use of two words – Genocide and Colonization. The liberal use of the two words has naturally been picked up by media, human rights advocates and others resulting in a diatribe of allegations and hyped propaganda with none bothering to verify and validate before using the terms. Usage of the two have contributed to strong clauses in the resolutions lobbied against Sri Lanka at the UN and thankfully a commoner has come forward to seek the courts assistance as to the manner attempts are afoot to cause disunity to two communities to get one with their lives following the defeat of terrorism. Those that claim genocide by Sri Lanka must also answer why did LTTE kill Tamils? The list of Tamils killed by LTTE include the very popular Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadiragamar, entire moderate Tamil politicians, scores of Tamil police men, Tamil academicians, Tamil public servants and officials. In fact LTTE’s and Prabakaran’s first assassination was to kill a Tamil Mayor – Alfred Duraiappah.

Genocide as set out in the Convention on the Prevention of Genocide (Article 2) means any of the following acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group:

1. Killing members of the group
2. Causing serious bodily harm or mental harm to members of the group
3. Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part
4. Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group
5. Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group”.

Over the years reference to genocide came from multiple forces.

From overseas the usage of ‘genocide’ and ‘colonization’ have been turned into commonly used terms. Even a single death ends up referred to as ‘genocide’. The internet is full of reference to Sri Lanka’s ‘genocide’ ‘colonization’ to such an extent that even adjectives have been added to create flavour. So you will read about ‘structural genocide’ ‘systematic genocide’ ‘military colonization’ ‘development colonization’ etc. The number of websites and campaigns run against ‘genocide’ and ‘colonization’ are too many to count as are the facebook and other social media pages. Who are funding these campaigns, websites and what is being done with the money poured in as contributions and donations and have those contributing or even agreeing to make statements ever bothered to find out if there was any truth in these claims?

It is evident that a lot of people in position and holding important official titles have also used the term ‘genocide’ and ‘colonization’ thus also contributing towards a very biased, unfair and unethical scenario that tied with big dollar funded campaigns have created an impression that the Sinhalese people have killed and continue to kill Tamils in Sri Lanka.

Thus, Professor Clelila Bartoli who spoke at the Tamil Youth Organization event in Italy in 2012 and analysed the genocide on the Tamil nation must explain what type of ‘intended genocide’ took place in Sri Lanka given that she specializes in Human Rights.

Similarly Sergio Cipolla of the CISS, a development NGO and Prof Provenza of Amnesty International, should also explain how they concluded that the UN failed in their responsibility in preventing the genocide.

A Sinhalese traveling to the North ends up with letters written to the UN complaining ‘colonization’. No one seems to take a foot back and ask some simple questions.

• Do Tamils live ONLY in the North? No. they live all over the island. In fact they are living mostly in Sinhala-dominated areas and have been living so for most of post-independence.
• Do Muslims live ONLY in the East? No. they too live all over the island. In fact large numbers of Muslims were living in the North, but they were given 24 hours to live or were threatened with death by the LTTE in the late 1980s.
• Do Sinhalese live EVERYWHERE? No. The Sinhalese who were living in the North were chased out along with the Muslims by the LTTE. The Sinhalese who want to live in the North post-LTTE defeat are not been allowed to by scaring them with ‘colonization’ remarks. The Constitution of Sri Lanka guarantees equal rights to all citizens as well as freedom of movement and residence. That being the case no one can stop Sinhalese or Muslims taking up residence and living in the North. This is a fundamental right that the Sinhalese are being denied.

Increase in Tamils relocating outside of the North especially to the South of Sri Lanka – If Tamils are increasingly purchasing lands, property, building condominiums and flats that they openly and without remorse or embarrassment say is meant only to be rented to Tamils, is it not wrong for Tamils to oppose when Sinhalese wish to purchase land and start business and live in the North?

Some examples of how ‘genocide’ and ‘colonization’ has been loosely used

THIS IS THE LEADER OF THE TAMIL NATIONAL ALLIANCE – R SAMBANTHAN HOLDING A BANNER OUTSIDE THE UN OFFICE ‘GOSL STOP GENOCIDE AGAINST TAMILS’

1 October 2014:

http://oneislandtwonationsblogspotcom.typepad.com/blog

/2014/10/uk-ministers-and-mps-rally-behind-tamil-calls-for-justice.html

Reception hosted by the British Tamil Conservatives at the Castle Fine Art Gallery in the International Convention Centre in Birmingham. Member of Parliament Robert Halfon also addressed the crowd, telling his fellow law makers that  “Tamils have been victims of genocide and deserve the right to have their own nationhood.”

17 August 2014 : 33 Members attached herewith. Joint Letter to UNHRC head Navi Pillai from the Members of the Northern Provincial Council and the Eastern Provincial Council,

“The Tamil people strongly believe that they have been, and continued to be subjected to Genocide by Sri Lanka…..We request the OHCHR investigative team to look into the pattern of all the atrocities against the Tamil people, and to determine if Genocide has taken place.”

March 2014 : Statement from Hon. M.K. Shivajilingam, Member of Northern Provincial Council, Sri Lanka to the UN Diplomats in Geneva, Switzerland on March 10, 2014 (http://www.salem-news.com/articles/march112014/hivajilingam-unhrc.php)

“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. “

June 2014: former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalitha makes 4 demands from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The first is “India should move a resolution in the United Nations calling for a probe into genocide of Tamils during the final phase of the Eelam War.”

13 March 2013:

All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils called on the UN to create an “International Commission of Investigation into the allegations of War crimes, Crimes against Humanity and the Crime of genocide against the Tamil people in Sri Lanka” and urged the member states of the UNHRC to strengthen the current proposed draft

June 2013 :

TNA MPs (P Ariyanenthiran, C Yogeswaran and P Selvarasa) complain Sinhalese getting India-funded houses http://www.nation.lk/edition/breaking-news

/item/18555-tna-mps-complain-sinhalese-getting-india-funded-houses.html

December 2013:

Permanent People’s Tribunal (PPT) has unanimously ruled that Sri Lanka is guilty of genocide, at its second high profile session in Bremen, Germany. Member former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations Dr Denis Haliday, as well as genocide scholars, international legal experts and activists. Haliday had also told TamilNet that the United Nations had failed the Tamils and noted the failure of the international community to act to prevent the genocide.

January 2009 – TNA in India

R Sambanthan, Suresh Premachandran, Mavai Senadhiraja, MK Sivajilingam and Padmini Chidambaranathan made the remarks at a press conference held in Chennai, Tamilnadu. Suresh Premachandran told BBC Tamil Service that if India did not intervene soon, it would tantamount to being complicit in the genocide of Sri Lankan Tamils (TN Gopalan BBC Tamil Service)

April 2009 – Tamil National Alliance in a statement released by its Foreign Relations Committee “The Tamil people in the island of Sri Lanka are clearly being subjected to Genocide.”

Examples of websites:

• Stop the silent genocide of Tamils – http://www.justice4tamils.com/
• Tamils against genocide – http://www.tamilsagainstgenocide.org/
• Campaign & Fundraiser – Boycott Sri Lanka – in protest against Tamil Genocide, SLA War Crime Atrocities! http://www.boycottsrilanka.com/
• Stop the Genocide of Tamils – www.voiceagainstgenocide.com
• Face book – https://www.facebook.com/pages
• /Stop-the-GENOCIDE-of-Tamils-in-Sri-Lanka/101852459861168
• How many have thought of double checking these accusations?
• Who has looked at the Tamil population statistics in the years 1980s, 1990s and to the present
• How many has looked at the migration figures of Tamils moving to live outside of the North and even going overseas legitimately as well as illegitimately.
• How many of those claiming genocide has backed up their allegations with names of the dead and why have even international organizations and leaders not asked that those making allegations should ensure that complete details of the supposed dead are given.
• How many have looked at the housing populations in the South especially in Colombo where Tamil population has increased considerably.
• How many have looked at the US satellite imagery reports where they have hardly been able to report only three graveyards containing 1,346 bodies much to the dismay of the anti-Sri Lanka lobby.
• How about the death figures, the hospital mortuary statistics… why have none of the supposed dead come to log the details of the missing to the Mission Person’s Commission of Inquiry. If people are grieving the dead and want answers for their deaths they do not require to choose who they report the dead to? For how long have we sought to find the names of the supposed dead. There is no shortage of dead numbers but none can come out with names.
• The salaries paid to Tamil public servants will provide further evidence. In most cases LTTE members were receiving State salaries!
• While genocide accusation does not hold water when Tamils secure economic control in key economic sectors/industries including Sri Lanka’s wholesale market, banking industry and stock exchange.
• The colonization claim does not hold water either as sufficient historical and archaeological evidence prevails to showcase Sinhala Buddhist heritage in North Sri Lanka and Sinhalese and Muslims have every right to even without historical proof decide to reside in the North if they so wish and Tamils have no right to jump up and down claiming ‘genocide’ and ‘colonization’ as gimmicks to stop them and the GOSL should not be scared and refrain from assisting those who wish to reside in the North. In fact the GOSL is bound to help such people because of the threats they may face by quarters of the TNA who by some obnoxious logic think they can reside anywhere and everywhere in Sri Lanka while Sinhalese or Muslims cannot enter the North because it is Tamil territory. There is and was and will never be any such demarcated territory. This is such a territory demarcated and called Land of Tamils and that is found in Tamil Nadu where the state official language is Tamil too and it is from where Sri Lanka’s Tamils came from too.
• A lot of people including LTTE supporters need to be reminded of the Tamils killed by the LTTE: http://www.defence.lk/ new.asp?fname=Tamil
• Politicians_Priests_Public_ Officials_and_Academics_killed_by_the_LTTE_20131103_01
  • Sri Sabaratnam – a Tamil militant who fell on his knees and pleaded for his life
  • 19 June 1990 the Tamil Tigers attacked an EPRLF meeting in Madras, murdering thirteen EPRLF members including leader K. Padmanaba, Jaffna District MP G. Yogasangari and former North Eastern Province Finance Minister P. Kirubakaran
  • IP Mr. BASTIANPILLAI Investigator into terrorist activities
  • 11 principals
  • Mr & Mrs. Sam Thambimuttu (parents of Arun Thambimuttu MP)
  • 21 Grama Sevaka officers
  • K. LOGANADAN ( Deputy General of Secretariat Coordinating for Peace Process) – shot dead in Colombo
  • Dr. RAJINI THIRANAGAMA – University Lecturer
  • 16 TULF moderate MPs including Amirthalingam
  • We are yet to know how many Tamils the LTTE killed over the years during its defacto rule – Tamils that didn’t listen to LTTE orders, Tamils who refused to give their children to the LTTE, Tamil children who tried to run away from the LTTE suicide ‘orphanages’, Tamil cadres who had had enough of terror killings, Tamil cadres injured and who became a headache for the LTTE to look after….how would the pro-LTTE lobby categorize these deaths?

As has been rightly pointed out the TNA members and a host of others are guilty of violating SECTION 120 OF THE PENAL CODE

“Whoever by words, either spoken or intended to be read, or by signs, or by visible representations, or otherwise… attempts to raise discontent and dissatisfaction amongst the People of Sri Lanka, or to promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different classes of People, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years”.

People cannot make lose and unverifiable statements using very powerful words that are now picked up by international media and a host of others who without bothering to find out the truth are simply parroting these words and it has caused much pain of mind to the Sinhalese and it is time such ugly practices stop.

– by Shenali D Waduge