Tamils to ICG: Good Job, and Let’s Pursue the Referendum
Friday, 08 February 2013 
Tamils for Obama to the International Crisis Group (ICG) praising this organization for their work in directing international attention to goings on in Sri Lanka even after the civil war ended in 2009. Tamils for Obama said to ICG’s president Louise Arbour that they favor a referendum plumbing the desires of the population of the north and east of Sri Lanka, and that they expect that ICG will come around to this thinking also.http://www.prweb.com/images/release-topquote.gifWe particularly wanted to thank Ms. Arbour for ICG’s attention to matters that require international attention, which included a call for an international investigation into atrocities and war crimes committed by SL armed forces and the government.http://www.prweb.com/images/release-bottomquote.gif
New York, New York (PRWEB) February 06, 2013
“The International Crisis Group is a non-governmental organization (NGO) that identifies and tries to resolve toxic conflicts all over the world,” said the press spokesman for Tamils for Obama. “They have earned a lot of respect and influence and are able to use this to pressure much weightier organizations. Specifically, we think that ICG is at least partly responsible for the US pushing itsresolution at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in March 2013.
“We hope and expect that the US resolution, which calls for an international inquiry into the ghastly events of the Sri Lankan civil war, will lay the foundation for greater justice and less suffering for the Tamils in Sri Lanka.
“Of course,” said the spokesman, “It is the ICG’s superior reporting of events in Sri Lanka that most moves our hearts.”
In its own words, the ICG is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization committed to preventing and resolving deadly conflict. Tamils for Obama, a group of Tamil Americans, recently sent ICG and its president, Louise Arbour, a letter praising ICG and Arbour for the group’s principles and effectiveness.
“We have lot of respect for Louise Arbour and for the organization she heads, the International Crisis Group,” said the press spokesman. “We sent her a letter praising her for her group’s attention to and reporting of things that are going on in Sri Lanka, even after the civil war ended and everyone else in the world chose to look elsewhere.”
“We at Tamils for Obama wished to express our approval and admiration for ICG’s conscientious and appropriate execution of their duties,” the spokesman explained. “We wished to convey our high regard to Arbour personally and to all of her staff.
The spokesman then said “Ms. Arbour and ICG put their efforts into matters that require international attention. This has included a call for an international investigation into atrocities and war crimes committed by Sri Lankan armed forces and the Sri Lankan government.
“The ICG was the first to inform the world of the horrendous situation facing Tamil widows in the north and east of Sri Lanka. This organization put a number on the population of widows: 90,000. It is important that a respected and neutral outside group gave a measurement that showed the scale of the Tamils’ misery,” the spokesman went on.
“The ICG also told other important stories, such as the uprooting of Tamils from areas they have inhabited for centuries and the resettlement of these areas by Singhalese,” the spokesman said. “This was another thing that the world would have ignored if the ICG had not reported it.
“We at Tamils for Obama,” the spokesman went on, “believe that only a referendum among Tamils can establish the popular will of the people in the north and east. We said so in our letter.
“We expect that sooner or later ICG will come around to our way of thinking—that something like the South Sudan model must prevail—and that Arbour and the ICG will help to lead the world in this direction.”
To see the whole letter click here.
Tamils for Obama is a politically active group of Tamil Americans. They believe that over 70,000 Tamil civilians were massacred during the last weeks of the Sri Lankan civil war. They have also watched the behavior of the Sri Lankan Singhalese victors after the war, and strongly conclude that Tamils in Sri Lanka will only be safe when this unfortunate island is divided into two states.
To contact the group, call at (516) 308-2645 and speak to, or leave a message for, the Communication Director, Tamils for Obama.
Email: info(at)TamilsforObama(dot)com
-Friday, February 8th, 2013The British Tamils Forum (BTF) and the Tamil Solidarity (TSol) jointly organised a campaign launch at the Queen Mary University in London on the 4th of February with students, activists, Tamil organisations and trade unionists targeting Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and Commonwealth Business Forum (CBF) 2013 in Sri Lanka, and multinational companies investing in Sri Lankan state’s structural genocide of Tamil Nation.
The two parts sessions, with discussion and action plan to bring together enthusiastic youngsters, Trade unionists, Tamil organisations and other progressive thinkers, all under one roof. All the delegates and attendees were highlighting the current disastrous political situation in Sri Lanka, where a hidden form of genocide has been executed for decades, since the independence in 1948. ![]( "More...")
TSol Campaign coordinator Senan rightly pointed out that “Tamils, and the majority of the Sri Lankan population, gained little out of the ‘transfer’ of political power from the British Empire to the local elite”. Independence of Ceylon meant structural genocide of Tamil identity as a Nation in which they lived in a well-defined territory with their own language, arts, culture, customs and heritage. They have been living in the North and East of the Island historically for several centuries and they will continue to fight to reinstate their lost sovereignty and self- determination.
The BTF Advocacy Coordinator Vakesan, who gave the action plan for the campaign stated that we should mobilise people to boycott Sri Lankan State and target multinational companies and name and shame those who continue to fuel the dictatorship regime since the end of War in 2009. He further said, the current regime does not have an appetite to address the root cause to the conflict and a meaningful reconciliation is only possible through International Independent Investigation (III) into war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes of genocide.
The students and other organisations including Trade Unions have come forward to work with BTF and TSol to successfully execute the ‘Boycott Sri Lanka! Campaign’ targeting CHOGM 2013 and beyond. The following actions have been proposed:
· Boycotting of multinational companies that operates in Sri Lanka and will be attending the CBF 2013
· Boycott blood tourism in Sri Lanka and other services offered by the Sri Lankan State
· Protest outside the Commonwealth Business Council
· Continue to put political pressure on the commonwealth leaders to boycott CHOGM 2013 and recommend Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) to discuss a venue change
The Trade Union activists Rob Williams, national chair of the National Shop Steward Network, and Tracy Edwards, PCS Civil Service Union, who spoke at the event expressed “how Tamils in Britain can work with the trade unions and highlighted experience in organising trade union activities”. Paul Callanan from ‘Youth Fight for Jobs’ commented on how Students and Tamil Youth could strengthen the Boycott Campaign.
BTF and TSol is committed to work together to involve much needed support of wider movements into Tamil peoples struggle for freedom and justice in the island. BTF will continue to work with other organisations in political front as well as through wider movements.
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