Lancaster, Pennsylvania – report by Nimal Vinayagamoorthy – Chair, Conference Committee
In the legendary city of Lancaster (Pennsylvania, U.S.A) the birth place of Thaddeus Stevens, the immortal 19th century egalitarian and a leading champion for the emancipation proclamation, the Prime Minister of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam, Rt. Hon. Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran solemnly unveiled the Tamil Eelam Freedom Charter in the presence of a host of academics, Human Rights activists, legal luminaries, TGTE MPs, Senators, political pundits, and professionals and a large gathering of Tamils. They have travelled from countries far away as Norway to Australia and India to Italy to be present at this epoch-making event.
Enumerating the Cardinal principles of the Tamil nationhood, historic homelands with the Right of self-determination, the Prime Minister of TGTE Solemnly and eloquently read out the proclamation consisting of 21 articles of freedom. The traditional Tamil drum used by the Tamil Kings in Eelam in the pre-colonial era to herald any news to the people were sounded as a symbol of the heralding of the proclamation of the Freedom Charter.
Speaking on the Freedom Charter immediately after its official Proclamation, Professor Francis Boyle, one of the architects behind its formulation said that “.. Under International laws and covenants the Tamils of Eelam have not only the Right to self-determination but that right also includes the right to establish a free and sovereign State of Tamil Eelam consisting of their historical homelands. …And here I wish to quote from an international treaty to which the government of Sri Lanka is a party, thus implicitly recognizing that the Tamils of Sri Lanka have a right of self determination and this is from the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which the government of Sri Lanka is a party. They are bound by their own treaty and it says quite clearly in Article One, “all peoples have the right of self-determination.” The Tamils of Sri Lanka are a people. “By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.” Those are rights that the Tamils of Sri Lanka have today even as recognized by the government of Sri Lanka…”
He explained that “.. Those are group rights and not just individual rights. And those are group rights that must be protected because the government of Sri Lanka has attacked the Tamils as a group, not just as individuals but as a group. So, since Tamils have been victims as a group, they must be protected as a group. And one of the basic rights of all that the Tamils have is this right of self-determination…”
He continued, “Eelam Tamils living across the world must establish social, political, economic and financial structures and institutions as if they are already an independent nation. Do not wait until your territory is liberated from foreign occupation..” He further illustrated that “Territorial claim is only one of the elements of State formation. The TGTE has already taken the right steps to form a government with a cabinet exercising multiform ministerial functions and this is a great march forward in the right direction. In this context your solemn venture and proclamation of the Freedom Charter in keeping with international norms and protocols is bound to receive the recognition and encouragement of other States and nations. Your position as an Observer in the United Nations like the State of Palestine is not far away. Now you must harness all your energies to attain that place ..”
Immediately following the Proclamation of the Freedom Charter, Dr. Nuran Nabi a freedom fighter who was once counted as the brain behind the Bangladesh Mukti Bahini Liberation Front, Dr. Ramsay Clark, former Attorney General of the USA and Hon. Daniel Mayan, a Representative of the newly formed Government of South Sudan reiterated their support to the cause of Eelam Tamils and emphasized the historic significance and importance of the freedom charter.
A two day International Academic conference exploring the means to realize the legitimate political aspirations of the Tamils of Eelam was held prior to the proclamation of the Freedom Charter in the Historic Freedom Hall of the city of Lancaster where Thaddeus Stevens the great Champion of the Rights of the oppressed slaves in America left behind a lasting legacy of advocating for free speech and abolition of slavery already in the early part of the 19th century. It is because of the symbolic importance of this place that the Prime Minister of TGTE chose to unveil the Tamil Eelam Freedom Charter in this legendary city.
Professor Francis Boyle a leading advocate for Freedom to the oppressed national communities was the resource person at this conference at which several research papers on an array of topics related to the Conference were presented by eminent scholars and academics.
Among the research topics discussed were: Eelam –Geopolitical Perspectives by Prof. Manivannan (Chennai), The Future of the Tamils of Eelam by Dr. Brian Senaviratne (Australia), Dialects of Unity and Separation by Dr. Satya Sivaram, Non-Violent Modes of Struggle for Freedom by Dr. Paul Newman, International Crimes Prosecution under Universal Jurisdiction Dr. Alkatout (Germany), Historico-Political Legitimacy for Tamil Nationhood by Prof. Chandrakanthan, (Canada) Inside Camps, Outside Battlefields by Dr. Nimmi Gowrinathan (Canada) The Abiding Spirit of Eelam Tamil Women by Prof. Saraswathi (Chennai), International Protection of Tamil Refugees by Prof. David Matas (Canada), Homeland , Nationhood and Self-Determination by Prof. Peter Schalk (Sweden), Remedial Self-Determination: War Crimes, Military Occupation and Inevitability of Eelam by Prof. M. Sornarajah, Mechanism for Protection of the Vulnerable by Mrs. Usha Sriskandarajah, (Canada), Absolute Sovereignty: A Moot Question by Mr. V. Thangavelu,(Canada), New States: A case Study of East Timor by Dr. David Suntha (UK), and Political and Diplomatic Strategies for Worldwide Recognition of Tamil Eelam by Prof. Frederic Fappani (Switzerland). Professor Sriskanda Rajah from Uppsala University in Sweden was the chief facilitator of this conference and stated that the proceedings of this Conference will be soon on the TGTE website.
The Tamil Eelam Freedom Charter can be viewed at www.tamileelamfreedomcharter.org
By Nimal Vinayagamoorthy – Chair, Conference Committee
Related posts;
TGTE Launched ‘Tamil Eelam Freedom Charter’
Tamil Eelam Freedom Charter To Enshrine Clearly Enunciated Principles Of International Law
TGTE To Gather ‘Freedom Demands’ From Tamils All Over The Globe For The Tamil Eelam Freedom Charter
Gerard Thurai / May 20, 2013
Who voted for these people? Presumably, the same people who “voted” for VP?
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Donald J Gnanakone / May 21, 2013
No all are not long time supporters of the LTTE.
Most of them came on board much later or screwed up the Tamil struggle.
Who are the advisers who gave advise to the LTTE to boycott the Presidential elections in 2005? In other words the LTTE installed the Rajapakses in power.
If they are not advisers they were cheer leaders for the boycott and still justify the boycott even today by giving cock and bull reasons.
They are also good saboteurs.
FYI, Rudrakumar started supporting the LTTE only in 1986 as a college student in Texas. lol. Since the meeting was in the USA Rudrakumar was phsically present but many others were on SKYPE.
34 TGTE MP’s from Europe have resigned their position long years ago, and one joker from Toronto who could not take the heat. He was not even a supporter of the LTTE and a Johhny come late guy.
Donald J Gnanakone
Tamils For Justice.
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F Jurangpathy / May 20, 2013
A dream, I would say a wishful dreams of Eelam which never be a reality.
Nothing but a load of crap.
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Megawatty / May 20, 2013
Like the slogan ‘makan makan berak’.
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S,Thiagarajah / May 24, 2013
Juragapathy
Dreams also come true.Bandarnayake dreamt of him being PM and he became PM.
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Suq Madique / May 20, 2013
What a joke. Pompous morons living in a fantasy world. Do tamils in SL even know of these clowns?
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S,Thiagarajah / May 24, 2013
Suq Madique
They know very well and they are also members.
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Nodrog / May 24, 2013
How many members in Jaffna?
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S.Thiagarajah / May 25, 2013
All the Tamils in Jaffna except Douglas and his few people who was wanted in India .
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Ben Hurling / May 20, 2013
This Prof. Boyle guy seems like a double agent.
He cetainly helps Rajapassa a lot by creating a dumb threat like this to Sri Lanka.
Rajapassa’s popularity in the country will almost certainly surge.
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Sun Burning / May 20, 2013
Surge and then fused.
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Suq Madique / May 20, 2013
Boyle has prostituted himself to the diaspora and will sing any tune they want as long as they pay him.
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K.A Sumanasekera / May 21, 2013
Shhooooo….Be queit please ….
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S,Thiagarajah / May 24, 2013
Rajapakse’s popularity is among people like him.They are those who like killings,murders,rape of women,abduction of people,actively engaged in Genocide of Tamils.He will be on top of these people.
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Suq Madique / May 24, 2013
Its understandable people like you will feel animosity towards rajapakse mainly for the fact that he killed your hero prabha who killed, raped, plundered and destroyed tamils lives forever.
We don’t like rajapakse for reasons like corruption, nepotism, egotism and for what he’s doing to the country.
Yes, he does have a following but but its mainly from the ignorant masses and bum-suckers.
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S.Thiagarajah / May 25, 2013
Suq Nadique: Tamils follow the path of righteousness,so they will support the punishment of all those who are found guilty of crimes.I heard Prabha was opposed to rape,plundering from poor people like Sardeal,and Saved large majority of Tamils from the sinhalese.On the other hand Rajapakse used his position and massacred and killed ten thousands of innocent,helpless poor tamil people.He passed laws and made orders to take away the lands of poor innocent tamils,still carrying out plundering of lands of Tamil people.He removed all those who are against him including The Chief Judge of Sri Lanka.
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M.Sivananthan / May 24, 2013
LTTE did the same and killed more Tamils than any others in the modern history.
You dont know the meaning of Genocide. If killing of LTTE is GENOCIDE, I welcome it!
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S.Thiagarajah / May 25, 2013
Sivananthan
Do you have the statistics of Tamils killed by LTTE and Tamils killed by Sinhalese.Tamils are talking of Genocide of Tamils.I dont know who you are,sinhalese or Tamil,but that is the truth.Sinhalese were carrying out a systematic killing of Tamils from 1950s.The slaughtering of Tamils increased terribly during the War ,wiping out a race.So it is GENOCIDE of Tamil Race by the Sinhalese Race.
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M.Sivananthan / May 25, 2013
Communal riots are not genocides. If a minority try to irritate the majority with unreasonable demands, the end results will be the same of LTTE and it cannot be a genocide in any country!
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Sangakkara / May 20, 2013
Dream on baby ! What a joke this is. Accept the facts THERE WILL NEVER BE EELAAM. You are in denial that VP is no more !
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S,Thiagarajah / May 24, 2013
Sankakkara
You took over our Tamil Kingdom without the consent of Tamils.So if you believe in Dharma( righteousness) you should hand it over to the Tamils without their asking for it.So Sinhalese talking about Dharma has become a Joke,Wait and see Tamils will get back their Kingdom very soon.
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Nodrog / May 24, 2013
ST, what have you been smoking man! Tamil kingdom??? Presumably the now dead VP was king? As for handing it back, well as Sangakkara quiet rightly says…dream on!! For guys like you the only kingdom awaiting is in a ward in Angoda.
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S.Thiagarajah / May 25, 2013
Nodrog
I laughed when you said Angoda,that type of sentence is a typical sentence of sinhalese brothers.But sir there are 80 million Tamils in the World.They need a Government like the Sinhalese to convey their problems to the International community.You should help us to get back our Tamil Kingdom taken over by you all in the 1940s.If we had a great loyal leader like Mohammed Alli Jinnah,we would have got our Kingdom in 1940s itself.Hon.Alli Jinnah stood to his feet against the Aryans and wanted his Kingdom and got it.We had two fools who were taken for a ride by the sinhalese.Alli Jinnah knew if muslims stayed with the Hindus,the Hindus will do the same like the Sinhalese are doing to Tamils now,GENOCIDE.
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M.Sivananthan / May 25, 2013
Jinnah’s family never supported Pakistan and remained in India. His own daughter refused to go to Pakistan. She was aware of the Islamic Sharia troubles ahead!
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / May 20, 2013
“There is a place. Like no place on Earth. A land full of wonder, mystery, and danger! Some say to survive it, you need to be as mad as hatter…. which luckily I am.”
” You ran out on them to save your own skin, you guddler’s scuttish pilgar-lickering, shukm-juggling slukimg urpal. Bar lom muck brimni!”
” Why are you always too tall or too small”
Quotes from ‘Alice in Wonderland’.
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran
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S,Thiagarajah / May 24, 2013
Dr.rajasinham
Beautiful saying
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manisekaran / May 20, 2013
“First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, and then you win.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
You are in second step, please consolidate unity foe the third step.
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JimSofty / May 20, 2013
Why you portray this important and grand occasion with a useless photo of just four kids and one individual who is hiding his face ?
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JimSofty / May 20, 2013
Probably there were no people to photograph.
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Jerry Mohan / May 20, 2013
When Nelsom Madela and his companions at ANC proclaimed the South African Freedom Charter no one paid attention. The situation of the Tamils in Sri Lanka is worse than that of the Apartheid. Tamil Eelam freedom Charter is a great sign post for Eelam.
When the Portuguese cam to Ceylon in 1505 they thought that they will be there for ever, so did the Dutch who even built huge fortresses thinking that their reign will be ever lasting. The British who ousted the Dutch believed that the British Raj will remain for all eternity. The Rajapaksha clan and his military junta will one day pack up and leave lock, stock and barrel. By the middle of this century Eelam will be a leading mini-State in South Asia. Today there are more Tamil Eelam students in the leading universities across the world than all Sri Lankan students put together and for that matter in the grading list of world universities Sri Lankan universities come below the first 4000. Tamil Eelam brain power will reign supreme one day. Sri Lanka will implode by its uncontrollable internal Sinhala corruption in every layer of the Sinhala government. Thanks to the work ethic of Tamils Sri Lanka was a model colony until 1956. Then came the Sinhala only and what do you find death, starvation, murder, mayhem, mutilation, thuggery, hooliganism and end less list of misery to Sinhalese, Moslems and Tamils. It is time to proclaim a Freedom Charter for the Sinhalese.
K. J. Mohan
Oxford
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Suq Madique / May 24, 2013
We also see tamil brain power in the credit card scams, extortion rackets, gang wars, people smuggling & most of all in the dole queues.
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Thiru / May 25, 2013
Do not compare TGTE with ANC and PLO-
Rudra and TGTE has to me on their knees
The Tamils freedom charte was written in the 1980’s by LTTE as ANC wrote in 1955.
stop comparing
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mohamed fazly ilyas / May 20, 2013
To analyse this dream in one word, it’s BULLSHIT….. sorry to my peace loving tamil friend and peaceful innocent tamil citizens.
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S,Thiagarajah / May 24, 2013
Mahammed Faziy Jiyas
How will you call Israel beating up Palestine.How will you call US conquered Iraq,
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truth_seeker / May 21, 2013
The difference is that Nelson Mandela, Mahathma Ghandi were actually living in their own countries and went though hell to achieve their goals. Your liberators are in foreign countries and come out of once a year and make these grandiose statements and craw back to there holes in East London. Just look at the crowed that gathered in London on the 18th. Other than bunch of asylum seeks who got in telling all sorts of lies, I don’t see anyone of any substance. I hope you have statistics to show that there are more tamil ealam students in leading universities than all Sri Lankan students. Or is it just a thought that you came to your mind? Funny, that most Sinhalese I know have at least 50% of the children that are doctors. In fact, I know few Sinhalese families where 100% of the children are doctors (and they have more than one child). It is true for some tamil families that I know as well. What I am saying is professional families produce professional children. It is a fact all over the world. Don’t think only tamils families do that. Are you forgetting all those tamils who are working at every other petrol station in the UK. So unless you have real statistics done by an independent organisation to prove your claims don’t be an idiot. These kinds of claims may sit well with uneducated tamils in East London/ Wembley area working in corner shops, grocery stores but not with people who think for themselves
Mohan your dead leader fought for 30 years with the support from every conceivable Western nation and with funding from the likes of you running into billions. What have you got to show for all that? A lot of dead tamils and even less land that you had before the war. Is this what you clever and so smart people achieved after sacrificing so much? Not very bright is it? Now you really think a ball-headed runt living in some hole somewhere in the UK who calls himself a president is going to achieve the same goal? I really hope you are not that delusional. On the plus side at least you have that dream to hold on to. I am sure that is some comfort.
From Oxford too!
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theva / May 23, 2013
Nelson Mandela, Mahathma Ghandi they were fighting for their own nation but tamils fighting for a catholic nation here. Foolish Tamils.
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S,Thiagarajah / May 24, 2013
Theva
Foolish Tamils are fighting for their Tamil Nation,not Catholic Nation.From where did you pick that.Tamils are now fighting like Gandhiji.You will see lot of boycotts of Sri lanka goods allover the World,Gandhiji used boycotts in a big way.
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M.Sivananthan / May 25, 2013
Fr.S.J.Emmanuel, the head of GTF praised the LTTE as the DIVINE SOLDIERS OF CHRIST.
How is that? Further can you explain why Catholic Church went along with LTTE in bank robberies?
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theva / May 23, 2013
“Tamil Eelam Freedom Charter: A Giant Step In The Right Direction”. Is to towards a Catholic conuntry?. Hindus in North east they don’t want a catholic coury. And also There is no other cotholic countries close to us creation of catholi8c country or a cahtolic feature will be a distubance all surrounding to north east.
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S,Thiagarajah / May 24, 2013
Theva
Who told you Hindus don’t want their country.They asked for it in the Vaddukkoddai Resolution and many times thereafter.Vaddukkoddai Resolution had support of all the Hindus may be except Karuna.Hindus don’t want to live with sinhalese who want to kill all the Hindus,Genocide.They want their Kingdom,not even one cm of Sihalese area.
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Suq Madique / May 24, 2013
Thiagarajah, there is a promised land for your eelam….its in a place called tamil nadu. It will never be in SL other than in your imagination
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Native Vedda / May 24, 2013
Suq Madique
“there is a promised land for your eelam….its in a place called tamil nadu.”
I hate to agree with you.
However, Sinhala Eelam has a choice, the Sinhala/Buddhists could have it either in Tamilnadu or Bihar, their ancestral homeland.
Well rest of the people can go whence their ancestors came.
Where do you intent to go?
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Suq Madique / May 24, 2013
native veddha….Well rest of the people can go whence their ancestors came. Where do you intent to go?
Hate to burst your bubble mate but I’m neither Singalese or Buddhist and I can go anywhere I damn well please unlike some of you who have no choice.
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Dr Arun Vincent / May 24, 2013
LTTE killed more Hindus than the Sinhala army.
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M.Sivananthan / May 24, 2013
Is that why Catholic Church also asking EELAM and joined LTTE? Can you tell why sis hindu priests killed by LTTE?
Fr.Emmanuel praised the LTTE as the “Divine soldiers of christ”!
Vaddukottai resolution was the product of Christian Selvanayakam and it has nothing to do with Hindus!
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S.Thiagarajah / May 25, 2013
Sivananthan
Vaddukkoddai Resolution was from Tamils,all the leaders of Tamils,Hon.SJV Chelvanayagam,Hon.G.G.Ponnambalam, Hon.Sunderalingam and others.Large Majority Tamil Hindus.
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M.Sivananthan / May 25, 2013
Under the nasty Christians!
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Native Vedda / May 24, 2013
Suq Madique
“I can go anywhere I damn well please unlike some of you who have no choice.”
Then go.
My people are not going anywhere. They will stay put. We want our island back.
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Usha S Sri-Skanda-Rajah / May 24, 2013
Prof. Francis Boyle’s statement places on historical record the ‘Tamil genocide by Sri Lanka’ as true under international law and that Tamils in the NorthEast of Sri Lanka have the, “right to establish a free and sovereign state of Tamil Eelam consisting of their historical homeland…”
This is an excellent Article by Nimal Vinayagamoorthy on the TGTE International Conference, “Chartering Freedom through the Rough Seas of Geopolitics” held in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA.
Usha
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Dr Arun Vincent / May 24, 2013
Rudrakumar took anti TULF position while he was a law student in Colombo and even after that, alleging his father’s position as Jaffna Mayor was delayed by the TULF intentionally. It was Dr Neelan Thiruchelvam who procured US visa and admission to Rudra. Rudra came to US and took LTTE stand wrongly believing that it was the only way to shoot in politics. He failed again miserably!!!
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Thanga / May 25, 2013
You can accuse prabha of all crimes under the sun, but not rape, plunder or destruction of Thamil lives. These accusations are repeated ad nauseam by Thamil haters. He ran a model de facto state that no one else attempted since 1619. The LTTE might have been defeated, but the ideals for they stood up don’t. Ideals and ideology lives on. Whether one likes it or not Prabha will go down in history as a hero who fought Sinhala – Buddhist fascist hegemony to the last. The blood shed by our heroes will not be in vain. It will serve as the foundation for the future Thamil Eelam. We will take off from where he left. That is a promise.
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