The Global Tamil Forum (GTF) has no mandate to speak on behalf of the rest of the Diaspora, says the senate of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE)
Sending an advisory note to the TGTE parliament its senate made the remarks above on the recent London talks.
We publish below the TGTE Senate Advisory in full;
Following is a broad summary of suggestions and comments made by various members of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) Senate on the recent talks in London between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL), Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Global Tamil Forum (GTF), ostensibly for developing ‘confidence building measures between all communities within and outside Sri Lanka’:
Action Points:
1. We can’t afford to shift from our goal – which is two-fold:
a. Succeed in urging UN to refer Sri Lanka to the International Criminal Court and ensuring the perpetrators are prosecuted;
b. Succeed in achieving an UN sponsored Referendum on an Independent and Sovereign Tamil Eelam.
2.We agree that the immediate needs of the people in the North and East must be met. However, we can’t let the Government of Sri Lanka to use it as a ploy to divide us, weaken us and force us to accept whatever crumbs they throw at us.
3. The immediate needs of the people must be addressed separately and firm action must be taken to alleviate the intolerable sufferings they are going through. It can’t be tied to our fundamental right of self-determination and reclaiming the sovereignty we have lost.
4. TGTE should call for transparency in public debate on any negotiation that takes place between the GoSL and any organization (elected or otherwise) concerning the future of the people of Tamil Eelam.
TGTE should:
a. Highlight the continued denial of justice to Tamils within Sri Lanka- whether it be rehabilitation of those who survived the genocide, political prisoners, war widows, sexual assaults on Tamil women, people whose lands and houses have been confiscated by the army, the militarization of the Tamil areas and so on.
b. Run an effective global campaign on these specific themes with data, human stories and colorful info-graphics, especially in the run up to the Human Rights Commission session in Geneva this September;
c. Contribute to the rehabilitation efforts (discussed in London)through various channels if there is any real merit in the proposals being discussed.
d. Call for the immediate admission of internationally credible Human Rights groups i.e. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and International Crisis Group into the country NOW.
e. Carry out a well-organized and well conducted boycott of Sri Lankan goods as was done with Apartheid South Africa. 6.
f. The TGTE must raise its international profile in order to assert its point of view and also ensure it is not sidelined in any discussions on the future of Eelam Tamils, within and outside Sri Lanka.
ARGUMENTS:
1. The GTF has no mandate to speak on behalf of the rest of us in the Diaspora;
2. Going by public statements made, the TNA member in London taking part in the negotiations hasn’t got the full support of his own party members either;
3. No political solution was mentioned in this so called “confidence building exercise”! In the most part it was about raising funds!
4. SL governments have played these cunning and deceptive games all along and were successful in deceiving the Tamils, the Tamil politicians and the international community over and over again. They are aiming to i) by selectively inviting one or two diaspora groups cause division and weaken the diaspora, ii) blunt the call for an independent state and iii) show the international community that they are talking to the TNA and the Tamil diaspora and; iv) divert attention and try to postpone the presentation of the UNHCR investigation on war crimes in Sri Lanka due in September this year.
5. The GoSL/TNA/GTF meetings in London are only aimed at helping the Sirisena coalition domestically in the upcoming elections within Sri Lanka.
6. Those who are supposedly representing the expatriate Tamils are representing themselves and not the Tamil people.
7. If Sirisena and Wickremasinghe tell the UNHRC to take their Resolution and get lost, there is nothing that the HRC can, or will, do.
8. The Right of Self-determination for the Tamils is a Right, not a favor. As such a Referendum in the Tamil areas to assess what the Tamil people want is mandatory. This must be a proper UN conducted Referendum with the Sri Lankan Armed Forces replaced by the UN Forces.
9. The Prevention of Terrorism Act condemned by every human rights group in the world, will have to be withdrawn. The GoSL claims to have crushed the Tamil ‘terrorists’. If so, who are the terrorists to whom this Act applies? This hypocrisy must be exposed – something that is not being done.
10. A ‘domestic’ investigation into war crimes will be a farce.
11. The new Sirisena regime has so far done nothing to instill confidence that it has the will to resolve the ‘Tamil National Question’ or find a viable political solution in keeping with the legitimate aspirations of the Tamil people.
12. The TNA has neither demonstrated the will and nor the courage required to endorse in full the NPC resolution on genocide nor demanded that the Tamil Nation be recognized as a first step towards finding a solution, that’s well within the law and not in breach of the 6th amendment.
MEMBERS OF THE TGTE SENATE ARE:
1. Mr. Ramsey Clark: Former US Attorney General: USA
2. Mr. Robert Evans: Former Member of European Parliament: UK
3. Mr. Daniel Mayan: Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM): South Sudan.
4. Mr. M. Manoharan: Former Member of Parliament: Malaysia.
5. Mr. Gilles Piquois: Attorney – at – Law: France.
6. Mr. David Matas: Human Rights Attorney: Canada.
7. Mr. Roy Chetty: South Africa.
8. Mr. Satya Sivaraman: Journalist: India.
9. Dr. Brian Seneviratne: A Sinhalese Physician from Australia.
10. Mrs. Usha Sriskandarajah: Writer: Canada.
11. Mr Sathesh Muniyandy: Secretary World Tamil Congress – Malaysia.
12. Dr. Nagalingam Jeyalingam: Former President Illankai Tamil Sangam and former president World Tamil Coordinating Committee: USA.
13. Professor Mrs. Saraswathi Rajendran: India.
14. Dr. Thani Cheran: First President of World Thamil Organization & former President of the Federation of the Tamil Sangams of North America (FeTNA): USA.
15. Mr. Rajaratnam Subramaniam: Educator – Canada.
msd / June 23, 2015
There they go again. All the LTTE supporters are power hungry and of course the caste also comes into play. If you people cant decide to do anything together and keep condemning each other it only shows what a poor cursed race you are. If tamils cant live together and how can they live with the sinhalese. You lick the backs of the people in the countries you have emmigrated to and say yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir and come here to Sri Lanka claiming part of the country as yours and try to show your superiority. We do not have to go very far you expose you all as a sorry example of humanity.
All each of you want is to take control of the North and then give hell to the poor tamils living there (though there are only few original Jaffna tamils) as you most probably have done for generations. This place truly is a cursed place and I see no hope for you all ever. God help the people who are forced to live there in the north under you tamils. Dont talk about genocide by the sinhalese it is the tamils who have abused, raped, killed and done all manner of injustice to the tamils.
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msd / June 23, 2015
There they go again. All the LTTE supporters are power hungry and of course the caste also comes into play. If you people cant decide to do anything together and keep condemning each other it only shows what a poor cursed race you are. If tamils cant live together and how can they live with the sinhalese. You lick the backs of the people in the countries you have emmigrated to and say yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir and come here to Sri Lanka claiming part of the country as yours and try to show your superiority. We do not have to go very far you expose your race as a sorry example of humanity.
All each of you want is to take control of the North and then give hell to the poor tamils living there (though there are only few original Jaffna tamils) as you most probably have done for generations. This place truly is a cursed place and I see no hope for you all ever. God help the people who are forced to live there in the north under you tamils. Dont talk about genocide by the sinhalese it is the tamils who have abused, raped, killed and done all manner of injustice to the tamils. Why dont you all take a minute to silently reflect on what you have done and how much the tamils who could not even afford to come to Colombo during the war, suffered due to your insular thinking and ideas. You all will suffer for what you have done and if you believe in Karma then I am sure your turn will come.
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SL- walah / June 23, 2015
Who cares! This so called outfit is nothing but a joke and a non entity.
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Kamal D Ranasinghe / June 23, 2015
Excellent explanation TGTE; any stupid could understand what is your intention behind. It’s very simple and stupidly evident in your so called Senate Advisory Statement.
First of all the Tamil people in Sri Lanka are our own people and a part of our Mother Sri Lanka’s body. But you are? just think twice please.
Also you the so called TGTE is the only soul representatives of Tamils in Sri Lanka?
Then what about the GTF? Don’t represent any Tamils in the country? ARE THEY NOT TAMILS EITHER?
Or may be you need the WHOLE PIECE OF CAKE? To have it? To Eat it? Or totally destroy the entire Sri Lankan nation and have your predetermined Tamil Motherland which was never been existed and you would never be able to achieve from INDIA; MALAYSIA OR CANADA?
Where were your so called (LOST) Sovereign State in Sri Lanka?
Never forget or omit writing as that we all the Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and other small communities live together peacefully scattered elsewhere in the country.
IT WAS YOUR SO CALLED CASTES WORSHIPING MENTALITY THAT WAS CREATED LTTE?
Then some opportunistic individuals and countries together had been HELPED THEM, BRED THEM & TRAINED THEM to gain such a STEALTH MECHANISM?
We have no problem of seeking jurisdiction of International Criminal Court for war crimes.
But you meant to say that the crime against humanity had happened only on Tamils?
Then what about your BARBAROUS LTTE HUMAN BOMBS & TRUCKLOADS OF BOMBS killed innocent civilians allover the country??? INCLUDED SINHALESE, TAMILS, MUSLIMS AND ALL THE OTHER ETHNICITY?
Hundreds of Muslims been killed while worshiping in the MOSQUES?
Thousands of innocent MASSES got killed by RUTHLESS HUMAN BOMBS OR BY TRUCKLOADS OF BOMBS at any public gathering places elsewhere in the country?
Hundreds of MONKS & CIVILIANS got killed while worshiping in Anuradhapura?
Hundreds of MONKS GASHED TO DEATH at Aranthalawa?
Hundreds of innocent lives GASHED TO DEATH AT DOLLAR & KENT farm villages?
The world famous Buddhists shrine placed at Kandy Sri Dalada Maligawa have been ATTACKED BY A TRUCKLOAD OF BOMBS.
700 POW s been killed, just only one instance out of many instances?
So what about RUTHLESS LTTE individual killings of Sri Lankans and foreign dignitaries? Alfred Dureiappa? A Amithalingam? Laxman Kadiragamar? R Premadasa? Rajiv Gandhi? so on…
CHECK WikipediA LINK FOR FURTHER RUTHLESS KILLINGS. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_assassinated_by_the_Liberation_Tigers_of_Tamil_Eelam#Heads_of_state_and_government
Let’s think positively please. “Nahee Verena Veranee”
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Amarekone Mudiyanse / June 28, 2015
Dear Kamal & others,
I commend your reminder on the atrocities of the LTTE and the putrid caste system practiced in Jaffna. We also saw how the Jaffna Wellala Hindus and Christians enjoyed the privileges with the establishment of the Batticotta Seminary and other branches of it. It was the Catholic Church that was with the down-trodden and the so called low caste families. That is the very reason as to why even today Catholic Priests of the north favor the LTTE to any other group.
For all their own evils fomented by Tamils of all walks of life the Sinhalese were named as the scape goats. For 400 years the foreigners dominated over Lanka Matha, how many of the people question whether all the rights that they enjoyed before 1505 A.D. have been restored. At various periods in our history those ill treatments were faced by Christian Tamils as well as Catholic Tamils. It was the same for the Sinhalese Catholics as well as the Sinhalese Christians. However, it was mainly the Sinhala Buddhist who was discriminated against or persecuted for 400 long years right, left and center, continuously! Should not their grievances be addressed first , if they feel insecure still and get branded as RACISTS? Were not their Temples Sealed, Temples looted, their kings’ palaces looted. Their schools and teachers were not assisted by the GOVERNMENTS in Portuguese, Dutch and English areas.tHEY DIVIDED US IN A BIG WAY & NOBODY CAN DENY THAT HISTORY. A PARTY THAT PUTS DOWN IN ITS MANIFESTO IN THE FORTHCOMING ELECTIONS THAT AS IN THE WAY MANY OTHER SO CALLED CIVILIZED HEADS OF SO CALLED CIVILIZED COUNTRIES APOLOGIZED TO OTHER NATIONS FOR ATROCITIES COMMITTED, THE 3 COUNTRIES THAT EXPLOITED US FOR 400 YEARS WILL BE ASKED TO APOLOGIZE SPECIALLY TO GENERATIONS OF…FIRST THE SINHALA BUDDHISTS AND THEN TO THE CHRISTIAN, CATHOLIC, HINDU AND MUSLIMS OF SRI LANKA , THOSE WHO WANT TO BE UNITED AS A NATION MUST THINK SERIOUSLY OF THE GOOD THAT COULD HAPPEN TO THE COUNTRY WITH THAT FIRST STEP.tHAT UNITY/CHARITY AT HOME IS A MUST , BEFORE WE GO ELSEWHERE TO DIVIDE THE COUNTRY. I want to be impartial in my comments & I go by historical facts.
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