Tamils for Obama, an US lobby group has written to Secretary of State John Kerry urging him to include a referendum for independence and protection for the Tamils against GOSL retribution in the resolution. The Group had sent a letter to Kerry that has highlighted the need for the UNHRC resolution by the US to include a referendum in northeastern Sri Lanka, similar to the one that took place in South Sudan. The group demanded that the referendum must be about what kind of government the Tamils in the northeast want for themselves.
The letter began by thanking the US for its past support at United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) sessions. “We at Tamils for Obama would like to thank the US State Department for raising and passing two resolutions at the UNHRC in support of justice and historical truth in Sri Lanka,” the letter said, and then introduced ” an expected resolution calling for an international investigation into Sri Lanka’s deeds in the 2009 ethnic civil war.”
The Tamils for Obama letter went on “We urge the US to call for a referendum in the northeast of Sri Lanka similar to the one conducted in South Sudan. We concur with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa that the Sri Lankan Tamils who were driven out of the country by GOSL oppression should be permitted to vote in this referendum.
“The referendum,” the letter said, “must be part of this UNHRC resolution, and must include choice of government. This is every people’s democratic right: to choose their government and the kind of country in which they will live. This is a US principle, going all the way back to the Declaration of Independence, and we want it for the Tamils.”
“This is an important point,” the spokesman said. “We Tamil Americans all believe it strongly, and we think Secretary Kerry must believe it too.”
The letter concluded “The GOSL reacts with cruelty and violance whenever they are opposed, and their cruelty and violence are usually directed at the Tamils. A way to protect the Tamils from GOSL retribution must be found, and must be included in the UNHRC resolution.”
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 ethnic 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.
Amarasiri / March 2, 2014
RE: Tamils For Obama Calls For A Referendum On Independence
Interesting, so that they can practice genocide and ethnic cleansing as the LTTE has done to the Muslims and Sinhala in the North and practice their Vellala caste discrimination on the low-caste Tamils.
What else? To form an Egalitarian society? No. To practice Tamil racism, just like the Sinhala Buddhist racism that is practiced in the South.
Looks like the Hindu Tamils to be reborn like the Sinhala Buddhists so that they can practice racism.
Deja Vu….. Have see it before…..
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AVB / March 2, 2014
If Sinhalese have right to live with and tolerate injustice, barbarism of their own Sinhalese leadership.. How we can deny same joy to Tamils .. To live with injustice/barbarism of their own Tamil leadership…what a fun..
It is hilarious that Sinhalese talking about caste systems of Tamils as something bad..
I recently came to know that SF is Karawa guy and most of his big supporters (even in foreign land) are Karawa people.. SF is gurranteed 100% Karawa votes… Why not Tamils do the same…
Actually I am bit jealous about type of leaders Tamils have now.. Wigneshwaran, Sumanthiran… Quite different kind to Sinhalese leaders..
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Amarasiri / March 2, 2014
Dear AVB,
“I recently came to know that SF is Karawa guy and most of his big supporters (even in foreign land) are Karawa people.. SF is gurranteed 100% Karawa votes… “
http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/2011/9/70564_space.html
Read: More Information on the Sinhala Caste System. Buddhism, Hinduism, even Roman Catholism has not been able to break the caste habit. So, the Northern Tamil State will be Vellala Caste dominated state, with low-caste not being able to go to the temple and drink from wells.
The Tamils will not form an Egalitarian Society.
The plight of the Sinhala `DALITS`- Karava, Durava, Salagama, Berava and Rodi. Caste discrimination in Sinhala society.
Friday, 9 September 2011 – 10:42 AM SL Time
Free education has brought out wider egalitarian impact in Sinhala society, but this has not eliminated the caste inequality altogether. Rather caste has been made an underground phenomenon rarely discussed in public, but remained bottled up within the individuals and local communities only to be rekindled from time to time in the caste inspired political loyalties during the time of elections, social conflicts and social uprisings (Jiggins 1979, Chandraprema 1991).
This caste alignment did not emerge out of the blue. There had been a long history of Kara-Govi rivalry in diverse quarters and at various social levels from the 1860s if not earlier. Let me detail some facets without claiming that this brief review is comprehensive.
The grand war time alliance of Sinhala Buddhist interests appears to have unravelled. I attribute the bad blood between the Rajapakse and Fonseka camps to vendetta and revenge. This is largely a personal feud born of a sense of betrayal. However, I wonder whether the legacy of caste has had a tangential role in the matter after all. Rajapakse is the scion** of an old southern Govigama family while Fonseka was a Karave general also from the south.
Let us explore the issue in some detail. Professor K.M. de Silva in his `History of Sri Lanka`, refers to the MIGRATION OF THE KARAWE, SALAGAMA AND DURAWE CASTES FROM SOUTHERN INDIA TO SRI LANKA BETWEEN THE 14TH AND 17TH CENTURIES AD. The Karawe, a maritime caste, appear to have had a disproportionate influence in the Sinhala military in medieval times. M.D. Raghavan`s publication, `The Karave of Ceylon: Society and Culture` illustrates the cultural history in some depth. Michael Roberts also documents Karawe elite formation in his seminal publication `Caste Conflict and Elite Formation, the Rise of the Karave elite in Sri Lanka: 1500-1931`.
Caste divisions are not unknown in Sinhala Buddhist history. The Govigama-Karave competition intermittently resurfaces in our history. The Govigama are the farmer caste akin to the Tamil Vellalar. The Govigama are perhaps 50% of the Sinhala population while the Karave are likely 10%. The Govigama unfairly dismiss the Karave as a fishing caste.
King Vijayabahu in the 11th century DENIED ACCESS TO THE SO-CALLED LOWER CASTES to venerate the Buddha`s footprint at the summit of Sri Pada or Adam`s Peak. These castes were confined to a lower terrace further down. This led to an immediate counter when a 12th century rock inscription of King Nissanka Malla warned that the Govigama caste could never aspire to high office.
The 13th century Sinhala literary work, the Pujavaliya went on to assert that a Buddha would never be born in the Govigama caste The Govigama reaction was swift. Kandyan Buddhist civil law as later documented in the Niti Nighanduwa, placed the Govigama at the top of an elaborately ordered caste hierarchy.
The Kandyan Buddhist clergy – the Siam Nikaya – DENIED ENTRY into the Buddhist monkhood to the non-Govigama. They EXCLUDED THE KARAVE. This led wealthy Karave merchants in the maritime districts to finance the journey of Ambagahapitiya Gnanawimala Thera to Amarapura in Burma for the ordination into the Buddhist monkhood in 1800 AD. While the newly founded Amarapura nikaya had 21 sub-sects defined on caste lines (i.e. Karave, Salagama and Durave), it nonetheless offered a rare opportunity for the Karave to join the Buddhist religious order.
Other Karave ABANDONED BUDDHISM ALTOGETHER AND CONVERTED TO ROMAN CATHOLICISM to seek caste emancipation. 50% of the Karave caste might well be Christian today. At present, Karave Christian youth have the best education outcomes in Sinhala society.
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Palmsquirrell / March 2, 2014
What genocide ; LTTE never tried to kill all Sinhala and Muslims or destroy their ethnic identity.
Muslims in the North and East are ethnic Tamils, so it wasn’t ethnic cleansing. To claim it as such is to automatically support the genocide by Arabs against Tamils , because trying to eraze the Tamil ethnic roots of Muslim Tamils is cultural genocide. If Sinhalese establishment converted Tamils to Buddhism and then claimed they weren’t Tamils, would that not be genocide.
Why is it that Muslims in Saudi, Pakistan, Chechnya, Malaysia and many other regions can all hold on to their distinct racial identities but Tamil Muslims are not allowed to. Clearly a racist double standard by Ceylon Muslim elites in Colombo who identify with Arabs (erroneously known as Moors)
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Kutti Machan / March 2, 2014
“Tamils for Obama” are those who indulge on their weekends over a glass of whiskey on some long distance Tamil nationalism sitting in front of their computer monitors. The American political back alleys are littered with numerous such diasporic wannabes who are just bored to death with their marginal existence. After a cursory glance by a White House intern their letter will be filed away in the “No Action Necessary” cabinet with the notation “Wingnuts.”
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K.A Sumanasekera / March 2, 2014
…Brilliant.
In fact our FM Dr Peiris must bring this resolution on behalf of the great majority of the inhabitant population who now live in total peace,
The Resolution should be to give the Vellala CM and his LTTE proxy TNA full Police Powers and titles to all land in the NP.
This is on the condition that US, Ms Pillai and Ms Biswal withdraw their’s at the coming GEVEVA session.
And this resolution should be put to a Referendum covering all provinces except the NP,to make it unbiased.
Besides most Northern Inhabs live in Colombo anyway, according to Mr David Jeyaraj from Canada,.
If the referendum gets the Okay from two thirds of the inhabitant population .the said Police and Land Powers shall be granted immediately.with an added bonus as well.
That is Dual Passports to all Diasporians, who ask for them and without any background checks. as long as they pay the US 7500 one off fee.
Further, the govt should invite Ms Biswal, Ms Pillai , Messers Cameron and Harper to campaign on behalf of the TNA and their supporters.,
The referendum should only have one question, That is ,Yes or No for Police Powers and Land rights to the TNA to run the NP.
With one last but most important condition that there won’t be any more threats or demands for International or even local investigations for the killing , sorry eliminating the terrorists.even if the Referendum gets a No…
After all Diaspora is all about Democracy now… Isn’t it?
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Ravi / March 3, 2014
After the 83 riots, with the help of VP, the Tamil think tank Dr. Anton Balasingham created a Tamil Diaspora (by making use of the refugees) in the Western world with a long term objective. His main aim was, the Diaspora will fund the war in SL and in case if the armed struggle failed, the Tamil Diaspora will be able to take the Tamil freedom struggle to the next level by lobbying/influencing the political leaders of the Western world. For this purpose, he took the Jews as the best example. Many years ago when the Jews were humiliated, annihilated, and kicked out of their homeland, they went to the West as refugees. Today they are controlling the economy and politics of the super power and the whole world.
The brain dead Sinhala-Buddhists cannot understand the purpose of the SL Tamil Diaspora. The Tamils only need the help from the Western world to get their Tamil homeland back, which they lost to the Sinhala Nazis due to the dirty policies of the British in 1948. The Tamil Diaspora will do anything and everything in the West to earn money and spend it for this purpose and they are doing it bloody well.
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Rukman Perera / March 2, 2014
This the utter non sense. When we have the war western world did not talk about peace. Now when we have peace western is not helping to develop the country. Try to divide and rule. Tamils for Obama same time they pumped money to make terrorist Prabakaran for Ellam.
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TheWhiteHouse / March 2, 2014
To:Tamils for Obama,
sorry we cannot hear you until Mr. Obama retired in 2017
Mr obama very busy at this moment as he is working with top officials of the US government to tackle Russian invasion in Ukraine..
Please be bear with us
Thank you,
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Don Bandula / March 2, 2014
Gotta wait & see if things take a turn,orchestrating…OBAMA FOR TAMILS%
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Abhaya / March 2, 2014
Sure . lets have an island wide referendum .
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Halt / March 2, 2014
US been fooled by these lobby groups. these tamils are mostly from Tamil nadu state and few from Sri Lanka. they want to see the country been divided so that they can call it there own. if these tamils were so concerned about the rest of the tamils living in Sri lanka, why didnt they stopped LTTE control over the civil society in NE. why dint they speak about the rite of Tamil civilians at before the 2009. were they blind when child soldiers were recruited. what kind of suppression these tamil society lived in NE before 2009 had undergone , under the control of LTTE, where were you Tamil for Obama at that time. were you busy collecting funds for LTTE. if UNHRC called for an independent inquiry and found that LTTE was guilty for committing war crime, home do you Tamil for Obama will hold responsible.
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Robert.R / March 2, 2014
LOL the USA must be really dumb if what you tell is true LOL
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eusense / March 3, 2014
USA is not that dumb to believe or do anything for TFO. But keep that money rolling in!
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eusense / March 3, 2014
How much money has “Tamils for Obama” spent on Obama and the Democratic party? Based on that I will say what action Obama will take.
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Liberal One / March 4, 2014
Now what does the separatism appeasing traitorous scum among us have to say? Is the tamil diaspora for justice or to rob our country?
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Fathima Fukushima / March 4, 2014
Keep howling Tamils. You don’t get a referendum.
Doom is all you get.
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Bruz / March 4, 2014
Some one is going to have the last laugh, and guess who that will be !
Looks like a referendum is the only way to solve the dispute and stop the Genocide for good. One country two nation both can develop their own with vigor and without fighting. North and East is not the majority communities’ grand parents’ property. It belongs to the people who lived and living there for centuries. No one else other than Tamils know the quality of the soil, the vegetables they grow, the kind of fruits they grow , the kind of paddy they cultivate, the water, the palmyrah trees they adore and the products they use. What the others know about North or East ? Nothing. Tamils are a unique people of Hindu and Christian tradition, non violent and a very tolerant people. They never burned libraries, people on the street, houses, businesses , create racial riots, killed or raped women. But they just cannot tolerate injustice and inhuman atrocities by hooligans, thugs and terror by the very state machinery who are supposed to be protecting them. Pirabakaran was the end product of an all evil government and the consequences the entire Tamils and the nation had to face and still continuing to face. UN or no UN referendum is the only way and no one has to give it. It’s their land and It will be taken.
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Thanga / December 12, 2015
I find to my dismay k.A.Sumanasekara’s obsession with Vellalas. One can discuss any subject, he will end up coming with this Vellala phobia. It is an incurable disease he is suffering from his birth. He thinks the Vellala caste is having a stranglehold on Thamil politics. This might have been the case a few decades ago. Not after the LTTE came to dominate Thamil political landscape. Suffice to say LTTE leader himself did not belong to the Vellala caste. On the other hand caste plays a big factor in Sinhala politics. Since independence no President, no Prime Minister came from the Karava, the Salagama and the Durawe caste. All came from the Govigama caste. Dr.N.M.Perera led the LSSP although criminal lawyer Dr. Colvin R de Silva was a better choice. There is only one notable exception. Ranasinghe Premadasa who became president despite the fact he came from a low caste. Caste remains a significant feature in Sinhala politics. The JVP and the NNF are both caste based. So is the different Buddhist Nikayas. In the choice of candidates for certain electorates, for example Katana is Salagama Sinhalese. Balapitiya preferably Salagama, if not Karawe, Buddhist, Sinhalese. Moratuwa Karawe Sinhalese, preferably Buddhist but a Christian would be acceptable while Moratuwa and Ambalangoda should be Karawe, Sinhalese and essentially Buddhist.Karawe candidates can never win seats in the NWP and Central Province even if they are “kingfishers”. So caste is a necessary strategy when it comes to Sinhalese politics and elections. So it goes on and on. Mr. Sumansekera must remove the beam in his eyes before he removes the speck in others eyes.
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