Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) announced today that a rally will be held outside the United Nations headquarters in New York to protest Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa‘s visit to the UN General Assembly today.

Mahinda Rajapaksa

“This rally is to alert the UN leaders that among them is a war criminal posing as a Statesman and to highlight the gravity of the international crimes that the Sri Lankan President have committed against Tamils.” said TGTE.

TGTE also to urge UNSG Ban Ki-Moon appoint an International Commission of Inquiry under UN Article 99. UN Article 99 give authority for the UN Secretary General to appoint an International Commission of Inquiry.

The rally will be held today, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. (outside UN in New York).

“We urge the UN not to allow the Sri Lankan President to use his appearance at the UN to sanitize his barbaric international crimes. His is not just a war criminal, but a perpetrator of genocide” said a TGTE spokesperson.

TGTE said; “According to a UN Internal Review report over 70,000 Tamils were killed in five months due to deliberate and intense carpet bombing of areas designated by the government as “no-fire zones”, where Tamils assembled for safety.

“The Sri Lankan Government also restricted food and medicine for Tamils, resulting in large numbers of people dying from starvation and many of the injured bleeding to death.

“There are currently over 90,000 Tamil war widows. The Tamil women, especially female bread winners & their daughters are subject to sexual abuse by the Sri Lankan security forces.

“In addition to the killings, thousands of Tamils have disappeared, women are abused, large numbers of Tamils are imprisoned without trial and abductions are continuing to this day.

“Due to the shear number of civilian killings by the Sri Lankan Security forces, the UN Human Rights Council passed two resolutions on accountability for these crimes and is continuing the review.

“The Sri Lankan President is desperately trying to stall UN Human Rights Council and actions under UN Article 99 and is using international meetings like UN General Assembly to solicit support to protect him from the War Crimes Investigation.

“We are urging UN Secretary General to not to protect him but to appoint a Commission of Inquiry under UN Article 99.”

“UN leaders should ask Sri Lankan President about the UN Panel report that documented mass killings by his troops and the three documentaries in the “Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields” series produced by UK’s Channel 4 TV.

“Please remind him that mass killing of civilians is a war crime and a crime against humanity and refuse to protect him. If he claims innocence, then urge him to face international investigation to prove just that. Given the ongoing structural genocide we are urging the International Community to establish an International Protection Mechanism.

Tamils were singled out to face these abuses simply and solely on account of their Tamil nationality. Members of the Sri Lankan Security forces are almost exclusively from the Sinhalese ethnic community and the victims are all from the Tamil ethnic community.”  said a TGTE spokesperson.