By Mr Visvanathan Rudrakumarn – Interim Chief Executive

Courtesy : www.uktamilnews.com

The Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) applauds the UN’s move to appoint a panel to investigate the violations of human rights and humanitarian laws in the island of Sri Lanka. We regard the UN Secretary General’s decision to appoint the panel as a crucial step towards bringing justice to the victims of human rights abuses that occurred during the last months of the armed conflict in the island of Sri Lanka.

The large-scale violations of international human rights and humanitarian law during the final stages of the war led to the death of many thousands of innocent Tamils in northern Sri Lanka. The perpetrators of these violations have yet to be held accountable for their actions. The appointment of this independent panel rightly rejects the Government of Sri Lanka’s attempts to whitewash any breaches of international law by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces, including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide and serves as a deterrent to other states to apply the so called Sri Lankan option for national conflicts.

We furthermore praise the UN’s consistency in refusing to be contended with the Sri Lankan Government’s flawed initiatives to silence international criticism of its own conduct of war by appointing a meaningless “Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission”. Investigation by the perpetrators or a commission appointed by the perpetrators is tantamount to the accused being the judge and the jury. Moreover, as correctly pointed out by various international human rights organisations and political analyst groups, the Sri Lankan Government’s record in baseless commissions is self-explanatory about its intent to deflect from its shortcomings in matters of human rights.

While the International Community failed to act adequately to prevent the death of thousands of innocent Tamils, we welcome this step forward towards a delayed justice for the thousands of victims of war. We recognise that accountability and justice are the first steps towards a solution to the decades long national conflict in the island, hence embrace the UN’s move as a crucial step forward on the long path of achieving justice.

We therefore offer our full cooperation to the UN’s panel of investigators and we are willing to provide a large number of first-hand evidence to aid the panel. Despite the panel’s declaration not to visit the country, we call the UN to independently and freely gather first-hand accounts about the atrocities committed from the very population of the Vanni region, who will be able to depict the reality of the massacres. It is of great importance to receive direct witness accounts in situations as volatile as Sri Lanka’s since the risk of distortion of sources and narrations runs high when relying on secondary sources. Any international fact finding mission based on the conduct of a third state loses its credibility if its work is purely relying on secondary sources. Should the panel change its stance, on the above recommendations, and directly visit the concerned areas, we would strongly advise the UN to guarantee the safety and anonymity of the witnesses in the wake of such investigations.

We urge an independent and transparent investigation into the numerous crimes committed against the Tamil population in the Vanni region by the Sri Lankan security forces. We further urge the UN panel to carefully study evidence that might lead to a finding of the crime of genocide. Paraphrasing the observation of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in its genocide verdict in connection with the killing of 7,826 men rendered on June 10, 2010 , “the scale and the nature of the operation, with the staggering number of killings, the systematic and organized manner it was carried out, the targeting and relentless pursuit of victims,” many political analysts, academics and human rights activists have already deemed that there is a case of genocide in Sri Lanka. These claims must be investigated by an independent and transparent expert-panel and considered within the context of over six decades of state-sponsored violence against Tamil people and the consequent loss of life and property the Tamils have suffered since 1956 and are still suffering. The substantial number of deaths needs to be contextualized with the initial size of the Tamil population of the island, in order to gain a just oversight of the impact governmental policies had on the Tamil people.

As the democratically elected international body of the Tamil community, we however raise our concerns about the announced length of the investigation. Whereas human rights organisations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Crisis Group needed months if not a whole year to submit and complete reports about the violations of human rights and humanitarian law in the final period of the war, the scheduled four months period of investigation by a small panel of three seems to be too short to guarantee a just evaluation of the large scale of crimes committed last year.

We therefore request the UN to extend its period of investigation to be able to draw an adequate report to a situation that is often called as the worst contemporary form of violation of international law.

We moreover emphasise that any process of accountability only becomes valuable and meaningful if the body of investigation is given the authority to act according to the results of its mission. Whilst we encourage the UN’s appointment of its panel, we like to point out the short comings of the mandate it is given. The consultative character of the panel does not only question the political will behind the appointment, but also risks to fail in vindicating the International Community’s responsibility to let justice and accountability prevail in grave cases of humanitarian catastrophes. We also urge the panel to eventually publish its findings in order to ensure complete transparency, to help launch a needed public discourse about the violations of international law that have taken place last year in the Vanni region of the island of Sri Lanka, and to undertake the necessary remedial measures to ensure that this shall never happen again.

Finally, we hope the findings of the panel will lead to actions being taken against those responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Tamils and that justice will eventually prevail for the thousands we mourn.

We look forward to supporting your efforts.

Visvanathan Rudrakumarn
Interim Chief Executive

World Refugee Day: Tamils remember more than 50 years of refugee life Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam calls to ensure the right to home

As the World marks the World Refugee Day on June 20, The Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) pledges to continue to work for the tens of thousands of Tamil civilians languishing in Sri Lankan military run internment camps and for the welfare of those that have departed the camps but continue to face the likelihood of arbitrary arrest, detention and torture.

It also pledges to work towards overcoming the economic and social challenges faced by these Internally displaced Persons (IDP) and

stopping the colonization schemes planned by the military to permanently keep these people out of their homes. As a body representing and unifying the Tamils around the world, we will keep alive the memories of Tamil refugee life throughout the past five decades in all our endeavors.

FULL TEXT OF PRESS RELEASE:

From May 17th to 19th, 2010, Tamil elected representatives from UK, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, France and Denmark Norway and Sweden came to Philadelphia, the historical land mark of USA for its independent in 1776 – for the first assembly of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) with an illuminating message to the world that the democratic and political phase of Tamil people is well and alive.. …………… read more

I do not understand why a country like India is worried about the concept of transnational governments. If Multinational corporations are allowed to operate as Transnational Corporations providing goods and services why not a body politic taking over the social and cultural need of a community? What other forms of mechanism is available to protect the numerically small minorities?

India must grow up to free its people from feudalism and living standard disparities. Why does it bother India if the Tamil brethren in various part of the world want to provide minimum basic living facilities to people in South India? Either they should go it or let some one else do it. The request to India is if you don’t want us to do it, you do it. All we are trying do is to equalise the disparity in the standard of living. No one is interested in diving India unless the Indian people feel that they are being marginalized. That is why India has to grow up. You cannot have it both ways. Either let the people go or let the people be free. Human freedom must be translated into Human rights, if not it is bound to fail. Every citizen must have equal right to his freedom within parameters set by the people themselves…………… read more

GL to raise Transnational Government issue with UN and US government

Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L Peiris who is currently visiting the United States is expected to raise the issue of the Provisional Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (PTGTE) when he meets officials from United Nations and the US government.

Prof. Peiris who left Colombo on Saturday is scheduled to meet UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on Monday at the UN headquarters in New York. He is expected to raise the issue of the PTGTE and is also expected to discuss the Secretary General’s decision to appoint a special panel on Sri Lanka and UN under Secretary General for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe’s scheduled visit to the island. Prof. Peiris is also expected meet US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton on Wednesday in Washington DC along with senior officials from the US State Department where he will raise the PTGTE issue.

External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L Peiris’s visit to the US comes in the wake of  the first PTGTE meeting in Philadelphia recently which was followed by several meeting in European countries on May 2.

Hither to minority people in nations have to live with social disgrace and social disparity. They were not allowed into certain social,cultural and economic circles. They were living a lower standard of living while slaving for the majority. Man is still an animal. But good news is we Tamils have just invented a system called Transnational Government. The purpose of these governments is to gather enough mass and velocity to create momentum force. Due to its shear size and economic capacity sometime exceeding a few nations can democratically mount world class propaganda for social justice and parity. The world cannot prosper with so many millions not free. Man has to move away from racial and religious categorization into econimically self sustaining communties. Race and religion are the tools of the narcissitic and lazy people…………. read more

A significant event in Tamil transnational politics occurred a fortnight ago in historic Philadelphia city in the US state of Pennsylvania. About 70 -75 persons gathered on Monday May 17th for a three-day conclave. The venue was the National Convention Center situated on Philadelphia’s Independence Mall at 525 Arch Street.

Both the dates and location were symbolically significant. It was in Mid-May last year that the Sri Lankan Armed Forces defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) militarily at the Karaithuraipatru AGA division in the North – Eastern district of Mullaitheevu…….   read more

• Karuna said that the diaspora had broken into three groups – US-based Visvanathan Rudrakumar, Norway-based Nediyavan and a London-based group.
• TGTE is “another pipe dream like Vellupillai Prabhkaran’s Eelam.”
• The Minister asserted the Tamil diaspora will not return to Sri Lanka and should create issues for their survival abroad.

Karuna, a former top Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) commander who is now a Sri Lankan Minister has said the Tamil diaspora is divided and had conflicting views on the so-called ‘Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam’.

The Tamil diaspora cannot make a significant impact internationally as it faces internal dissension and is now divided into three segments, Deputy Minister of Resettlement Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman said. Amman split from LTTE towards the end of 2004 following differences with Velupillai Prabhakaran and formed the Tamil Makkal Vituthai Pulligal (TMVP).

In March last year, he quit TMVP and joined President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party and was subsequently appointed its vice-president. Amman said that the diaspora had broken into three groups – US-based Visvanathan Rudrakumar, Norway-based Nediyavan and a London-based group. They had conflicting ideas about the proposed ‘Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE)’…. read more

1.Commitment to achieving Tamil Eelam.

2.Secularism

3.Promotion of the Welfare of the People in the homeland, the Tamil Diaspora

4.Promotion of Education in the homeland.

5.Promote Economic Welfare 6.Conduct of Foreign Relations

7.Prosecution of War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity and Genocide

8.Protect the Equality of Women and of All Tamils

9.Welfare of families of Martyrs, Former Combatants, and families affected by war.

The Advisory Committee has been consulting many sources and taken into account various questions raised by sections of the Tamil-speaking people in preparation of this report, and during the subsequent community consulting forums. Several country level dialogue meetings have been conducted, and feedback obtained from the community. Most of the suggestions for improvement and a number of the critical comments have been incorporated in this version of the report. Given the fact that this initiative is a process which will continue to develop, public input will remain as an important ingredient in that development. Though the work of preparing this report is now complete, the channels of communication via printed and electronic media maintained by the International Secretariat will serve as points of contact in the immediate future. All inputs received by the International Secretariat will be transmitted in due course to the Constituent Assembly. It is expected that the Constituent Assembly will set up its own mechanism for public consultation as part of its constitution building process.

TGTE – Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam Election Information Polling Day 2nd of May2010 (Sunday) 8am – 9pm Announcement of Result 3rd of May 2010 Monday.

http://www.govtamileelam.org/gov/ Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success” Every single Tamil should now vow to take this as their personal challenge and ACT UNITEDLY around the world as diaspora to liberate the Tamil nation. Brothers and Sisters, let’s stand up together and reclaim what’s ours!!! “You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.” -Malcolm X A scholar quoted that a nation can easily be defeated and captured without weapons, if the language of the nation is destroyed. 

Remember there are still 100,000 people in the camps and more than 12,000 boys and girls are suffering in prison!