Gajendrakumar at UN calls for transitional administration to safeguard Tamil Nation
[TamilNet, Friday, 15 March 2013, 15:48 GMT]
Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, the president of Tamil National Peoples’ Front (TNPF), who addressed the UPR Review session in Geneva on Friday, has called for an internationally supervised transitional administration of the Tamil homeland in the North and East of the island of Sri Lanka. Noting that the genuine grievances and aspirations of Eezham Tamils are reduced to “mere individual human rights problems” rather than the “destruction of their Nation”, Mr. Gajendrakumar, who represented the NGO, International Education Development (IED), at the UN forum called for independent international investigation on Sri Lanka. In a carefully drafted statement, he further said that the UPR is “de-Tamilized” to the point that, anyone not fully cognizant of the facts of the 65 year long Tamil-Sinhala conflict would not even know who is to be a party to “reconciliation.”
Following is the full text of the presentation made by Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam at the UPR Review at Geneva on Friday, under item 6, General Debate, 39th Meeting 22nd Regular Session Human Rights Council:
International Educational Development has followed the progress of the UPR since its inception. Now, in its second cycle we note a decided failure of some States to implement the recommendations of the first review – as is glaringly apparent in the second review of Sri Lanka.
The review of Sri Lanka also demonstrates the paucity of opportunities for a people, such as the Tamil people, who identify as a collective political entity – that is as a Nation – based on historical independence, ethnicity, language and customs to be heard and taken into account. Their genuine grievances and aspirations are reduced to mere individual human rights problems rather than the destruction of their Nation. Sadly, except for one statement made by Austria concerning the rape of Tamil women, the Tamils as a people are not even named—the UPR is “de-Tamilized” to the point that, anyone not fully cognizant of the facts of the 65 year long Tamil-Sinhala conflict would not even know who is to be a party to “reconciliation.”
Indeed it was the systematic dismantling of the existence of the Tamils as a distinct Nation in Sri Lanka that led to the 26-year-long war. We are alarmed with the government’s assertion that it aims to create “a true Sri Lankan identity,” which in Sri Lanka is a code term for “a Sinhala Buddhist State.”
At this juncture, we call for the establishment of a transitional administration, under international supervision, in the North and East of Sri Lanka – the traditional homeland of the Tamils – as an urgent measure to stop the on-going destruction of the Tamil people.
Finally, taking note that the Government rejects all recommendations most likely to bring about accountability and remedy as required by international humanitarian law, we urge an independent international investigation.
Sri Lanka issue: DMK threatens to pull out ministers
ByKarthick S, TNN | Mar 16, 2013
CHENNAI: The UPA’s key ally DMK on Friday threatened to pull out of the Union governmentif the Centre failed to support an amended USresolution against Sri Lanka to be moved at the March 21 UN session.
ByKarthick S, TNN | Mar 16, 2013, 12.18 AM IST
DMK chief M Karunanidhi said in a statement, “India should take all efforts to bring about amendments in the US-sponsored resolution inthe UNHRC which should seek an independent probe into the genocide by the Lankan government.” The resolution should also seek to identify the war criminals, he said.
It must recommend strong action against them, he said. The DMK has five representatives in the Union government, including Karunanidhi’s son M K Alagiri, who is a Union minister.
Karunanidhi said, “The DMK’s continuance in the Union ministry will turn meaningless if India fails”. In recent days, the DMK chief has stepped up pressure on the Centre, strongly criticising statements of Congress leaders, including Union external affairs minister Salman Khurshid and party spokesperson Abishek Manu Singvi on the issue. Karunanidhi said the party has faced “only disappointment” from the Union government with regard to its stand on the Lanka issue. The DMK chief wondered what flawed logic impelled the Indian government to treat the island nation as a friendly neighbour.
Karunanidhi criticized Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and warned the UPA government saying, “The situation is reaching a flashpoint. We cannot watch silently.” Last year too, the DMK resorted to similar posturing on the eve of session of the UNHRC when the US moved a resolution against Sri Lanka. Photographs of 12-year-old Balachandran, son of the slain LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, circulated by Channel 4 recently have given pro-Tamil outfits fresh ammunition for their anti-Lanka campaign. The DMK too has been quick to seize the opportunity in raising the pro-Tamil pitch.
This is the fourth time in the last two years that the DMK is threatening to pull out its ministers from the Union government on the Sri Lanka issue and to demand a roll back of the petrol price hike. A senior DMK MP said that this time the party leadership was serious in its stand. “If the Union government fails to ensure amendments in the US resolution then we will be forced to pull out ministers. Stalin has been pressuring our leader to take a final decision in this regard,” he said. The DMK-back Tamil Eelam Supporters’ Organisation (TESO) has working hard for the Lankan tamil welfare in the past one year. “But Tamils are reluctant to support us wholeheartedly because of our alliance with the Congress,” the MP said.
The issue figured in the Parliament with DMK leader T R Baalu making a strong statement in the Lok Sabha “The students agitation, day by day, has become very tense. I do not know what will happen. I can only remind my friends what happened in 1965 on the language (anti-Hindi) issue. The agitation on language issue has cost the Congress to a very great extent. The congress has lost its rule in TN in 1965 and till now they could not come to power in TN,” he said.
