admin – British Tamils Forum

Barry Gardiner MP for Brent North, Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade

admin — Sun, 19 Jan 2020 21:44:03 +0000

The Tamil Community in the UK is grateful for Barry Gardiner MP Brent North and the Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade for joining us in our the Thai Pongal celebration held in the Parliament on Wednesday 15th January 2020. Mr Gardiner is calling for an independent investigation into the genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka goes ahead as

Clarification on the Conservative Party 2019 Manifesto – Statement on page 53 about the Two State Solution

admin — Sun, 01 Dec 2019 01:43:04 +0000

The British Tamils Forum would like to state that we are a politically neutral organisation working with cross parties to promote our values and aspirations, and also would like to impress on the entire community that we the BTF support a two-state solution.

However, it has come to light that there have been some serious misrepresentations of the conservative party manifesto hence we feel that we need to make a statement, so as to ensure that the Tamil Community is not misinformed by anyone.

The Conservative Party Manifesto states ‘’From helping to end the slave trade to tackling modern slavery, the UK has long been beacon of freedom and human rights – and will continue to be so. We are proud of our peace –building and humanitarian efforts around the world, particularly in war-torn or divided societies, and of our record in helping to reduce global poverty. We will continue to support international initiatives to achieve reconciliation, stability and justice across the world, and in current or former conflict zones such as Cyprus, Sri Lanka and the Middle East, where we maintain our support for a two state solution. ‘’

We welcome the Conservative party’s pledge to continue helping us to achieve reconciliation, stability and justice. We are also extremely grateful to various cross-party MPs who have time and time again come out to show their support for our cause.

BTF verified with former MPs and Cabinet Ministers, who after consulting with the Foreign Secretary, confirmed that the two-state solution only applied to the Middle East. We would like to take the opportunity to thank the MPs and Cabinet Ministers for their honesty and courage to ensure that the right information is passed on to the community.

We requested that the Conservative party clarify the statement on page 53 of the Conservative party manifesto. The message from the Conservative Deputy Chairman Paul Scully is as follows:

“To be absolutely clear, the two- state line was intended to refer only to the Israel-Palestine situation in the Middle East (as is stated policy). The commitments on Sri Lanka and Cyprus were simply about continuing existing efforts to support peace and reconciliation in divided societies.”

Whilst the BTF and the Tamils around the world will indeed appreciate and welcome all parties to support a two-state solution, we the BTF have a duty to inform the community, when, that is not what the Party manifesto is actually stating.

We the BTF are grateful that the Conservatives have now seen the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka as important and have made it a priority to address the issue, if they are elected to form a Government.

Unfortunately, a Tamil organisation representing the Conservatives have put out on social and Tamil media, that the Conservative Party supports a two-state solution for Sri Lanka. Whilst the political party must ensure that their policies are clear, it is extremely important that Tamils representing their parties take utmost care not to misinterpret words on the manifesto to mislead the community to gain votes.

The Tamils of the UK have fled from persecution, racism, discrimination and genocide by successive governments in Sri Lanka. They have come to the UK and made it their home knowing that they live safely and freely. They have suffered immensely, and it is irresponsible and insensitive for any organisation to make false representations to them.

We encourage all Tamil representatives of political parties to actively seek the betterment of our community and hope that they will not mislead the community either intentionally or unintentionally in the future, as our community deserve to know the truth.

Click the link for a copy of the statement here.

Tamil Diaspora Organizations Pay Homage to Smt Sushma Swaraj

admin — Sun, 11 Aug 2019 06:42:56 +0000

President,

Bharatiya Janata Party,

11 Ashoka Road, New Delhi 110001.

INDIA.

Dear Sir

Tamil Diaspora Organizations Pay Homage to Smt Sushma Swaraj

It was with great sadness and emotion that we learned of the death of former External Affairs Minister of India Hon. Sushma Swaraj, a great leader who has left a lasting impression on the people of India and internationally. Her untimely passing has left a huge void in diplomacy and public service in India.

Smt. Sushma Swaraj worked tirelessly to promote Indian foreign policy in the midst of challenging global circumstances. Her commitment to democratic values including respect for human rights and for the fair treatment of all has earned India the international recognition it richly deserves as a beacon of democracy, freedom, peace, coexistence and stability.

It still remains fresh on our minds, her active role in helping to restore peace and stability in Sri Lanka. She was very sympathetic towards the plight of Tamil people in Sri Lanka and in her capacity as the Minister for External Affairs, held important discussions with Sri Lankan government and Tamil leaders in furtherance of Prime Minister Modi’s model of Cooperative Federalism.

Smt. Sushma Swaraj has left an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of the Tamils in Sri Lanka and abroad. Her legacy as one of India’s finest Foreign Minister shall endure. We send our condolences to her family members, party members, Prime Minister Modi and the people of India.

Yours sincerely,

M. Manokaran
Chairman, Australian Tamil Congress
T: +61 300 660 629
Website: http://www.australiantamilcongress.com/en/Twitter: @austamilcongres

V. Ravi Kumar
General Secretary, British Tamils Forum T: +44 (0) 7412 435697
Website: www.britishtamilsforum.orgEmail: news@britishtamilsforum.orgTwitter: @tamilsforum

Dr. Sivan Ilangko,
President, The Canadian Tamil Congress
T: +1-416-240-0078
Website: https://www.canadiantamilcongress.caEmail: President@canadiantamilcongress.ca

S. Sivam
President, US Tamil Action Group T: +1 202 595 3123
Website: www.ustpac.org
Email: info@ustpac.org
Twitter: @UstpacAdvocacy

Full Letter – Tamil Diaspora Condolene message reg Smt Sushma Swaraj

Black July 1983 – 36th Year of Remembrance – 2019

admin — Fri, 02 Aug 2019 07:05:55 +0000

Stop the Cycle of Violence and Genocide against Tamils in Sri Lanka

Panel discussion by BTF in association with APPG for Tamils

Black July 1983 Remembrance Day event was hosted by British Tamils Forum (BTF) in association with All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils (APPG for Tamils), on the 23^rdof July 2019 at the UK parliament’s committee room.

Since its independence in 1948, Sri Lanka, which has been under the rule of Sinhala Buddhist dominated regimes, has seen repeated cycle of violence against the Tamils. The Tamil people who had their independent sovereignty before the colonial era were treated as second class citizens as the Sinhalese became the permanent majority in the merged entity. Successive regimes have used their numerical superiority to enact legislations that deprived the Tamil people of their parity of status in the island. The Tamil people have been objecting to these legislations through democratic and peaceful means. The Sri Lankan regimes responded to the Tamil people’s peaceful demands with repeated violence.

A racist Sinhala Only Act in 1956 saw 300 innocent Tamil people murdered; some were burnt alive on the streets of the Capital Colombo. In 1977 more than 1000 Tamil people were massacred in the south of the island and millions of their properties looted and set alight. In July 1983 in a pogrom that is now known as Black July more than 3000 innocent Tamil people were murdered and billions of rupees worth of properties owned by them were destroyed by Sinhala goons led by the Sri Lankan military aided and abetted by the state. All the people killed were massacred because they were Tamils. No person had been held accountable for these genocidal acts. Although Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK and other western nations keep talking of the Government of Sri Lanka’s progress in trying to bring about peace and reconciliation the fact remains that there has been no progress on accountability and justice whatsoever. It has been 10 years since Mullivaikal and 36 years since Black July. There is no sign of the Government of Sri Lanka showing genuine interest in addressing the cycle of violencethat takes place on the Island. On the contrary, those who are implicated in the crimes are being rewarded with top positions in government and diplomatic missions.

The panel discussion was moderated by Sarmila Varatharaj, Deputy Team Leader for Human Rights, BTF, who welcomed all the panellists and the audience. The committee room was gender balanced, full of diverse nationalities and age groups, parliamentarians, journalists and activists.

The panel discussion was opened up with an audio visual presentation of the history of violence,

depicting the endless cycle of violence followed by a presentation ‘The Case for Genocide Recognition’ delivered by Jan Jananyagam, founder of TAG- Together Against Genocide, known to the Tamil community for her activism and passion for bringing about justice for the Tamil people. Ms Jananayagam juxtaposing the Tamils’ case against other genocides around the world argued using various alternatives that what was inflicted on the Tamil People was genocide. In the context of the recognitions of genocide in Srebrenica and Myanmar, the numbers of civilians deaths in Mullivaikkal and the proportion of deaths to the overall target population, the methods used to destroy the population are all such that, in context, the mass atrocities in Mullivaikkal, constitute a genocide, by the same yardstick. It is difficult to see how it would be consistent to recognise Srebrenica or the genocide of Rohingya in Myanmar and not to recognise the genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka.

There are multiple complementary approaches to recognising the genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka and they all have merits. One can deploy the arguments the ICTY made in relation to Srebrenica. For example, the ICTY asked if the community could be reconstituted as a community after the mass atrocity, it took into account the symbolic nature of Srebrenica as a UN recognised safe haven and its importance to Bosnian independence. In terms of numbers, (though recognition should not be about numbers) the population in Srebrenica was about 40K of which the non-combatant men and boys killed in the genocide were about 8K – a 1 in 5 ratio. The mass atrocity in Mullivaikkal destroyed a similar, higher proportion of the target population. Worth noting on numbers, though genocide recognition is never about numbers that estimates of civilian casualties in Mullivaikkal vary widely, with most people now converging of 100K out of a population of circa 425K. We should use the higher Tamil source estimate closer to 146K because 10 years have passed and there is no explanation as to where are the people.

An alternative and complementary approach is that taken by the UN Secretary General’s Panel of Experts (POE)c in their 2011 report, where they found credible crimes against humanity of extermination and persecution. They cited the denial of humanitarian aid – medicine and food – as calculated to destroy a substantial part of the population. The wording used by the POE in finding the Rome Statute crime of extermination being very similar to the genocide convention, save for identifying the target group as an ethnic, national or religious community.

Alternatively, one could build on Lemkin’s original approach, looking at the institutional destruction of the Tamil nation. The systemic targeting and destruction of the Tamil media and aid workers, land grabs, demographic change and the renaming of geography, destroying culture including the Jaffna library, these would all come together in Lemkin’s approach that he originally put forward in his book on Axis rule in Europe.

There are many ways to construct the argument. An important question is ‘when does a genocidal process become a genocide’. In Sri Lanka the process sees spikes of destruction in July 1983 and in 2009.

We should recognise the Black July and the mass atrocity in Mullivaikkal as genocides. Recognition of both these spikes as genocide is consistent with recent precedents of genocide recognition.

As this is a panel event held in Westminster, it is worth noting that genocide recognition is not only a matter of foreign policy. The families of the vast majority of British Tamils, were impacted by Black July and preceding pogroms. The genocide in Sri Lanka explains how the Tamil community came to be in Britain and is part of our heritage and history. It is important for members of parliament, media and producers of knowledge to recognise the facts of this history. In terms of UK foreign policy, there are also compelling arguments that genocide recognition will assist with preventing recurrence.

‘The concept of genocide, its importance and severe shortcomings’ was delivered by Dr Martin Stern MBE. Sir Martin Stern is a Holocaust Survivor. His sister and he survived the camps when they were children. After he was liberated from the camp by the Soviet Red Army in 1945, he lived with family friends in the Netherlands. Dr Martin moved to Manchester in 1950 and went on to study Medicine at Oxford University. Dr Martin Stern has educated thousands of young people across the UK about the Holocaust and Genocide through his work with Holocaust Organisations and for this he was awarded the MBE.

In his presentation he stated “Lies are an integral part of Genocide. People who murder thousands and tens of thousands of people are not shy about distorting the truth and that is a problem that you face in Sri Lanka as well. And of course, it then terminates in denial, and making people believe that the victims were as much at fault as the perpetrators. These are regular features of such events. Darfur, Rwanda, Sri Lanka – Everyone agrees that the events were of a genocidal nature but what have they done about it.

In 2005 the united Nations accepted that the resolution for agreement reached by a world summit meeting on responsibility to protect. This overthrow’s the principle of not interfering in the internal affairs of other states, so if the Sri Lankan state wants to murder its Tamil Citizens that would be an internal matter for Sri Lanka and no one can interfere, but intervention was justified for genocide, War Crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, in other words three concepts were brought under the umbrella which broaden the target of what we should be addressing in my opinion. So the Concept of Genocide and I am not at all opposing the acceptance of what happened in Sri Lanka as Genocidal, but there are problems with it. I want to emphasise that you need to build up a data of what happened, get the facts established, you need to care for the survivors, and you should embarrass the tyrants. They are susceptible to embarrassment”.

“Challenges of Justice in Sri Lanka’’ was delivered by Alan Keenan, who is International Crisis Group’s Sri Lanka Senior Analyst based in London.

Alan opened up his presentation with some probing questions to the audience. He stated that there has been no justice delivered to the Tamils for injustices committed by the Sri Lankan state over the years, July 1983 pogrom, larger series of anti- Tamil crimes, massacres, possibly genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. He further stated, crimes and injustice against Tamils by the Sri Lankan state and its supporters and representatives have been brutal, sustained, systemic for decades.

It’s happened with near complete impunity and with virtually no acknowledgment by the Sri Lankan state or by the Sinhalese majority. He further highlighted the failure of the present government on its own promises of accountability and delivering on promises made at UNHRC. On future strategy he requested further dialogue between concerned parties to work out a common strategy, despite the differences. Immediate need is to establish dialogue between Tamil and Muslim communities to find a common strategy against Sinhala racism. There is a chance of both communities getting justice, in a state which is structurally biased against them, by building a political relationship and a common strategy.

The fifth presentation, titled “Sri Lanka’s Stalled Transitional Justice Process: What Next?” was delivered by Richard Gowingthe Director of Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice.

On his presentation Richard Gowing drew similarities between the July 83 attacks against the Tamils and the recent Easter bombings attacks against the Muslims. There was ample evidence to suggest that both were well planned, coordinated and premeditated by the Sinhala majority, supported by the state security apparatus. Sinhala political leadership failed in both instances to stop these attacks instead choose to encourage it. This poisonous nationalist dogma is very exclusive to the island of Sri Lanka.

He further said ‘’Sri Lanka is so stubbornly against any attempts at reform. There are many dimensions to the failure of international engagement over the past five to ten years. It’s hard to round them up succinctly but I just want to highlight three. First the international community has been far too ready to reward the government for goodwill gesture. I think in which the International community is in many ways colluding in some of the most flagrant attempts of the regime to whitewash its human rights record. Second, I think it’s really high time the international community spoke a little more plainly and honestly about the government’s record over the past 4 years. In particular to drop this pretends or assumptions of the Government of Sri Lanka is still willing and cooperative partner when comes to accountability for war time violation. Sri Lanka’s leaders many of whom have on multiple occasions publicly repudiated the pledge for a justice mechanism and yet as recently as April a minute from a U.N. peacekeeping mission recorded members of the international community commending the government for demonstrating its commitment to move ahead to establish a judicial accountability mechanism. Indulging in fiction might preserve some goodwill when it comes to the low hanging fruit of the reform process, but fundamentally it also provides political cover for total inaction.’’

He concluded by saying the following, ‘’ I think now is the time that all member states and U.N. member states need to really be looking at what they can do to broaden the accountability process. Seeking to collect and preserve atrocity crime evidence. The protection of witnesses, which is particularly important should the situation change in Sri Lanka. It might lend support to efforts to prosecute perpetrators outside the country.’’

On behalf of the APPG for Tamils, Wes Streeting, Ilford North MP and Vice Chair of APPG for Tamils stated ‘’There is a real risk of British Foreign policy and the desire to strike trade agreements outside the EU trumps what I would describe as conventional foreign policy of defence, development and diplomacy. The truth is the efforts of the British Government and I give credit to not just the Labour Government,the work David Miliband as Foreign Secretary did but actually what David Cameron did in particular that built a strong cross party support. Because of the actions of the British Government did in sponsoring the resolutions and putting pressure on the Sri Lankan Government is really important and the real risk in terms of Brexit is, in future that trade trumps over, human rights in terms of relationships with other countries. That is a general challenge but specific concern in relation to Sri Lanka , so we cannot be complacent but we have to make sure when the new Foreign Secretary is appointed by end of the week and when the minister is in place for bilateral relationships for Sri Lanka, higher standards for human rights is at the forefront of foreign policy and this is important as a general point of principle. What we do not want is that the Sri Lankan government that has signed up to commitments to the international community be allowed and enabled to wriggle out of the commitment by the British government that may be more interested in signing a trade deal than getting true justice and accountability.’’

Rt Hon Stephen Timms, MP for Eastham quoting Tamils who fled to UK since 1983 Black July pogrom stated, “Out of that tragedy, terrible event and very likely qualifiesas genocidehas emerged a successful positive community here in the UK and other countries. People forced to flee from Sri Lanka coming here to the UK forming a great community that’s today is doing well and making a very positive contribution to national life in Britain. He concluded, “Sri Lankan Government’s Progress over the last few years has been glacial or non-existent I stand with what Wes Streeting said earlier that many of us across the House of Commons will feel very strongly about the great deal of work to be done. We must continue to press for a satisfactory and Just outcome in Sri Lanka.”

Margaret Owen OBE, Director, Widows for Peace through Democracy stated, every government has a duty to keep a list of all the people, men, women and children who are in detention, those who are looking to find out the fate of their loved ones and families, to find out whether they are in detention? In prison? Or are they in mass graves? Or tortured? Where are their bodies? The military and the Sinhalese are now taking over whole tracts of lands, that these people who have lived there for generations, that’s where they belong! I think there are still many women, who are still unsettled, they’re still living there. There’s an enormous amount of sexual violence as well, I hear about intimidation, abduction into military brothels.

Sri Lanka has never even signed up to develop a national action plan for the UN Security Council Resolution #1325, which is international law where in any peace process, women must be at the table. Sri Lanka hasn’t done that. Sri Lanka is in total breach of CEDAW.

Concluding remarks, ‘’Why did the international community fail to adopt more critical or vocal stance on Sri Lanka in the immediate years following the end of the civil war?’’ was delivered by the moderator Sarmila Varatharaj. She summarised the discussions as follows.’’ International community failed to see the historical reasons behind the conflict and was misled by the Sri Lankan government’s use of the international terrorism narrative existing at that time. Sri Lanka’s strategic location, provides an opportunity for the Sri Lankan government to play the regional power game, setting one player against the other, to gain an advantage to control external influences and continue with its genocidal war on Tamils.

Sri Lanka has been effectively managing the power play between the regional powers and has been effective in controlling and influencing all nations at United Nations. De-politicising and de-contextualising problems with just human rights language to discuss Sri Lanka, fails to identify the root cause of these abuses. The universal language of rights focuses on legal remedies and a simplified view of perpetrators and victims, but this can inadvertently strip conflict of its political, ethnocentric and structural dimensions. This narrative hides the real reasons behind the conflict, and hence fails to address the root cause of the abuses.’’

The event concluded with a Q & A session with active participation of the next generation of diaspora human rights activist.

Press release – please click Here.

Outcome of the ‘Trinco 5’ case is emblematic of Sri Lanka not delivering justice for serious crimes committed against Tamil civilians

admin — Sun, 14 Jul 2019 00:13:56 +0000

GENEVA, July12,2019: The Australian Tamil Congress (ATC), the British Tamils Forum (BTF), the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) and the US Tamil Action Group (USTAG) are dismayed at the reports that the thirteen Sri Lankan Special Task Force and Police personnel charged with the killing of five Tamil youths in Trincomalee on January 2, 2006 were acquitted of all charges and released on July 3, 2019, purportedly due to lack of evidence to continue the case in a satisfactory manner.

The five innocent youths killed were 20-year-old Tamil students with no political affiliations. Though diversionary attempts were initially made by the authorities to link the killings to Tamil militancy, it soon became apparent that these were cold-blooded executions carried out by security forces personnel, thought to be as a warning sign for the Tamil youth from the area.

Early investigations of the incident came to nothing due to a systematic intimidation and fear campaign carried out by security forces, including the killing of two potentially important witnesses and a terror campaign unleashed on the families and other key witnesses to force them to leave the area and the country. And indeed, most of the family members of the victims fled overseas fearing for their lives.

The case – known as ‘Trinco 5’ – remains one of the highest profile killings in Sri Lanka to have received domestic and international attention. Sri Lanka’s own Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) observed in 2011 that there were strong grounds to surmise the involvement of uniformed personnel in the commission of the crime. ‘Trinco 5’ was listed in 2014 by the then UN High Commissioner for Human Rights as one of four ‘emblematic cases’ of the government’s failure to ensure accountability.

In February 2018, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein told the UN Human Rights Council that the killings were among several on the island that demonstrate ongoing impunity. His report said, “The failure to show major progress in these emblematic cases strengthens the argument for the establishment of a specialized court to deal with the most serious crimes committed by State actors…. staffed by specialized personnel and supported by international practitioners.”

When the case was finally taken to court recently, eight key witnesses failed to appear, among them two who had migrated overseas. Though some allowance was made in recent years to enable testifying from overseas, the changes enacted were grossly inadequate to earn the confidence and trust of the witnesses. However, the case continued to remain under international spotlight – such as a tweet from the former US Ambassador Atul Keshap on the 12th anniversary of the crime noting, “justice delayed is justice denied” – which compelled the government to act even in a limited manner.

The ruling last week, however, has dashed all hope and raised fears that the case will die a natural death and justice will not be served.

Human rights groups have reacted strongly to the judgement. “This was a test case for the Sri Lankan Government to show its commitment and capacity to ensure justice and accountability for conflict-related crimes, and the fact is the authorities have failed. Political leaders that insist there is no need to comply with Sri Lanka’s pledges to include international involvement in transitional justice have just been proved wrong,” stated Human Rights Watch South Asia Director Meenakshi Ganguly. Amnesty International South Asia Director Biraj Patnaik noted that justice had been denied yet again to the families of the ‘Trinco 5’ murder, with a tweet “When will this travesty of justice end?”

It is well known that a few immediate family members of the victims have been valiantly fighting for justice over several years now. We understand and identify with the frustration and shock they must be feeling on this miscarriage of justice and profess our support for their continuing efforts.

The absolute failure of the Sri Lankan justice system was also revealed in another well-known case when six former Sri Lankan army corporals accused of murder and rape in the massacre of 24 Tamils including 13 children in 1996 in the town of Kumarapuram near Trincomalee were all acquitted in 2016, though the involvement of the military in the murder and mayhem was a publicly acknowledged fact.

The outcomes of these cases, under the present Sirisena-Wickremasinghe coalition government, clearly illustrate the collective failure of the Sri Lankan judicial system – Police, Attorney General and Judiciary – which are lacking in will, capacity and direction from the leadership of the country. In fact, Sri Lanka has perfected the art of protecting its security forces and the political leadership by creating a complex maze of lies, deceit, distortions, fear and intimidation. In such an environment, Tamil victims receiving justice in an exclusively Sri Lankan judicial system is next to impossible.

It is the responsibility of all right-thinking people and the international community to ensure impunity is ended in Sri Lanka and justice is served, not only on the emblematic cases, but for all serious cases of atrocity crimes committed in the country.

That is the best insurance to prevent Sri Lanka from returning to its despicable past.

Please click the link here for a pdf of copy of the press release.

Common Ground Award accorded to former President of Sri Lanka Chandrika Bandaranaike

admin — Fri, 12 Jul 2019 06:56:40 +0000

The 2019 Common Ground Award accorded to former President of Sri Lanka Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga on the 17th of June 2019 has created an uproar amongst the victimised Tamil community worldwide. Intractabilityof Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict as it is today is a legacy of Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. Her lack of vision and unwillingness to pursue a sustainable political solution during her tenure contributed to the bloodshed in Sri Lanka.

The British Tamils Forum (BTF) oppose this award because of the atrocities committed by Chandrika Kumaratunga during her tenure in office. The BTF contacted the concerned organisation, Search for Common Ground (SFCG). One of the responsible officers from SFCG met members of the BTF.

BTF clearly explained to the representative, BTF’s displeasure in the award being given to someone like Chandrika Kumaratunga and was given a brief summary of the history of conflict in Sri Lanka.

BTF was successful in cancelling two planned speeches, one in the prestigious Oxford Union and the other at the Mansion House in London by the former President of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa. Unfortunately, sufficient notice was not given in the award ceremony for Mrs Kumaratunga. However, in the constructive meeting with SFCG the following list was presented to them.

List of human rights related issues that happened during the period of Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga

She failed to implement the recommendations of the Four Commissions of Inquiryinto Disappearances, namely the three Zonal Commissionsand the one All Island Commission which inquired into approximately 30,000 complaints in all.
The recommendations included – taking action against nearly 1500 perpetrators of disappearances against whom these Commissions had found credible material indicative of their responsibility for the disappearances.
That list included members of the security service officers, police officers and politicians.
Though these Commissions had received information on about 10 Mass Graves where persons alleged to have been killed and buried, that information was not acted upon. No action was taken to exhume bodies and establish the cause of death.
Evidence of about 6 torture chambers had been provided to these Commissions with the names of those who maintained those chambers, but no action had been taken against any of them.
The recommendations made to prevent disappearances of persons in the future were not implemented.
The changes suggested to the existing laws to prosecute persons involved with causing disappearances not implemented.
No action taken to identify the bodies exhumed at Chemmani.
Following the “Riviresa” Military Operations to regain control of Jaffna from the LTTE in 1996, 600 Tamil youth had disappeared, and no action was taken to trace them.
The National Human Rights Commission appointed a special team to inquire into the disappearances that occurred in the Jaffna District following the “Riviresa” Military Operations. That Team found credible evidence against about 20 military officers of their involvement in the disappearances in Jaffna, but the Government did not take any action against them.
In July 1995 The Sri Lanka Airforce bombed the Navali Roman Catholic Church and many civilians were killed.
In 1995 the military killed many civilians in Nagar Kovil.

The SFCG officer was requested to hand over this list to Mrs Kumaratunga for her response for each and every item on the list. If she fails to respond the organisation should consider withdrawing the award. The SFCG officer agreed to consult with his colleagues.

Mrs Kumaratunga was responsible for the derailment of the peace process initiated by international community in 2001. Currently, she is responsible for reconciliation in the country. BTF explained to the SFCG officer that a reconciliation process will never be successful without dealing with the issue of accountability. It would be akin to putting the cart before the horse.

In a recent interview Mrs Kumaratunga stated that war crimes investigation should not take place in Sri Lanka.

During her regime she herself followed a policy of ‘war for peace’. Lest we forget Sri Lanka is a co-sponsor of the UN Human Rights Council Resolution 30/1 that requires independent investigation into the war crimes and crimes against humanity with the help of foreign investigators, prosecutors and judges.

BTF strongly feels that the award given by Search for Common Ground should be withdrawn

-The End-

pdf version of the press release is available here – Common Ground Award accorded to former President of Sri Lanka Chandrika Bandaranaike.

Further link to the Common Ground Award ceremony – https://www.sfcgevents.org/masterclass

Candian MP Gary Anandasangaree expresses continued commitment on 10th Year Mullivaikkal Remembrance

admin — Sun, 19 May 2019 22:33:34 +0000

Elorukkum vanakkam. Good afternoon everyone. My name is Gary Anandasangaree, member of parliament for Scarborough, Rouge Park in Canada. I’m very pleased to join you for this 10th year Commemmoration of the genocide in Mullivaikkal taking place at Trafalgar Square organised by the British Tamils Forum.

For the past 10 years, the tamil community around the world has been engaged in a struggle for obtaining accountability and justice for those who died at Mullivaikkal. We know that first and foremost, the people who survived Mullivaikkal and those who did not, deserve justice. They need answers, they need truth. And I want to honour them, I want to honour their memory, and to make sure that we never forget what they went through. As a collective diaspora we have been working very hard with the international community to advance the issues of accountability. We know that accountability is an essential tool for any form of peace or reconcilliation to take place. Thats why Canada along with Great Britain and other countries have been instrumental in advancing resolutions at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

This past March Canada was part of the core group aoong with Great Britain in advancing 40/1 of the Human Rights Council Resolution. Going forward, we still have a great deal of work to do. We know that justice has evaded Srilanka, and those perpetrators of these injustices and violations of international law, including War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity, and Genocide are still on the loose. On this solemn day, we need to commit collectively to ensure that we will fgight for justice as we go forward. I want to thank the parliamentiarins in the United Kingdom, as well as all of those who have been working very hard including the British Tamils Forum who have been working very hard, who I have had the pleasure of working with for the last 10 years to advance this issue.

In solidarity with the people of the North and East of Srilanka, the tamil people around the world – I want to say we will never forget and we will recommit once again to ensure that we seek justice and accountability for all the crimes that were committed. Thank you.

Director of Oakland Institute, Anuradha Mittal sends message for Mullivaikkal 10 Years Commemoration

admin — Sun, 19 May 2019 22:02:51 +0000

I am Anuradha Mittal, I am very sorry that I am unable to join British Tamil Forum and all of you who have gathered at Trafalgar Square to remember the horrendous crimes that were committed against the Tamils of Sri Lanka

May 18th marks the end of the civil war in Sri Lanka, when the Sri Lankan army indiscriminately bombed its own civilians in violation of the international human rights law

Our research at the Oakland Institute has clearly demonstrated, that despite the end of the war ten years ago, the long shadow of war continues to be cast on the victims.

It has been ten years yet mothers, fathers, wives and children continue to wait for tens of thousands of people who remain missing

It has been ten years and there are no answers, there is no closure.

It has been ten years that the Eastern and Northern provinces still wait for the return of their homes, their lands, that were taken away in the name of military operations, through military encampments, resorts, hotels, through viharas and victory monuments.

The Sri Lankan Army continues to dispossess the people of the north and the east.

It has been ten years, and the Sri Lankan government continues to act with impunity because it has been allowed to make a mockery of human rights.

It has been ten years that the perpetrators of war crimes continue to enjoy being in power

and yet, have not been brought to justice.

It has been ten years since the international political community has continued to play geo-strategic political games

It has been ten years, way too long for repression and torture to continue for the minorities of Sri Lanka

The victims and the families refuse to forget, they continue to work for justice, without justice, there can be no peace in Sri Lanka.

At the Oakland Institute, we will continue to work with those impacted, with the diaspora community, groups such as the British Tamils Forum, to ensure that there is peace and justice in Sri Lanka.

If we fail to bring transitional justice in Sri Lanka, we as the international community cannot ever think of bringing accountability to those who are victims of these massive human rights abuses.

This is not a domestic issue for Sri Lanka, violation of human rights is an international issue.

It is essential that the voice of those impacted are heard.

It is essential that those who wait for the return of their loved ones, have a say within the international community as to what should be done in Sri Lanka to bring justice.

It is very important that an independent international mechanism is set up for accountability in Sri Lanka

This is the only way forward to ensure peace justice and prosperity in Sri Lanka, and ensuring justice for all, who were impacted, who were tortured, whose homes and lands were taken away and who continue to face repression.

This is the only way forward to ensure a democratic state in Sri Lanka, where a state is not just for the Sinhalese, it is not just for the Muslims, it is not just for the Tamils but it is a state truly for the people of Sri Lanka.

Navaneetham Pillai, Former High Commissioner for UNHRC sends us a kind robust message for Tamil Remembrance Day.

admin — Sun, 19 May 2019 21:27:59 +0000

I welcome this opportunity to share a message of support for the remembrance event hosted by the British Tamils Forum. The event commemorates the 10th anniversary of the end of the war in Sri lanka, on 18th may 2009. It is an important reminder that although the fighting is over, the suffering of tamils in srilanka has not ended.

What i saw of tamil suffering when I toured the north in srilanka in august 2013 as the United Nations high commissioner for human rights remains fresh in my mind. I was deeply moved by the profound anguish of survivors, and relatives of the dead and missing. This was especially traumatizing along the lagoon at Mullaitivu, where shallowed, unmarked graves and the scattered clothing of those who had been shelled lay abandoned. I also met many tamil communities and was struck by their resilience and by their unwavering determination to achieve their rights.

Wounds were not healed and reconciliation will not happen without respect and remembrance, for the tens of thousands who were killed, disappeared, displaced and abused. The struggle of tamils for self-determination goes a long way back – for almost 6 decades. 146,000 tamils are reported to have perished. More than 70 years of state-building exericses in srilanka have consistently failed in srilanka to explore the underlying root causes of the conflict, and they have consistently failed to result in meaningful measures to prevent human rights violations of the tamils. Far from investigating and bringing to justice the perpertrators, and finding a lasting solution to the ethinc tension, the srilankan state has, and continues to discrimante against the tamils and other minorities.

Instances of persisting human rights violations of tamils have been regularly monitored by the office for the high commissioner for human rights, as well as the independent special rapporteurs. These include the illegal occupation of tamil land by the military, lack of transparency and information on the return of land to tamils, arbitrary arrests and detentions for human rights defenders and protestors under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. By december 2015, 250 detainees were believed to be in detention. So the fate of these security detainees under the PTA, is a major concern for the tamil community. The military presence in the North and East of Srilanka remain heavy, and the culture of surveillance is ever present, verging on harassment of the tamils. Violence, torture and sexual abuses, especially of vulnerable female-headed families continue, with little or no arrests.

The Sri Lankan state acknowledged before the Human Rights Council in 2014 that 39 cases of sexual violence against Tamil women, involving the military were reported. Not a single soldier has been prosecuted. And by february 2016, high commissioner Zane was still asking for srilanka for an update on the state of these investigations. The denial of personal freedoms and human rights, are linked to persistent impunity and violation of the whole of the north. Strong calls have been made by the Human Rights Council, and by successive High Commissioners for human rights, for an end to corrosive decades of impunity, and for the implementation of accountability, justice, reconcilliation, and reparation for victims.

The Sri Lankan state, has not implemented its commitments in human rights council resolution 30/1 which it had co-sponsored to set up mechanisms to address accountability. This is extremely distressful for Sri Lankan Tamils who have steadfastly demanded these remedies. In response the authorities are telling them, to forgive and forget. UN investigations determined that international crime amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed against Tamils.

The APPG for Tamils held a candle vigil and prayers for the victims of Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka.

admin — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 20:55:43 +0000

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils (APPG for Tamils) held a candle vigil and prayers for the victims of Easter Sunday attack on 21^stApril 2019.

MPs from all political parties and the leader from faith groups attended the event to remember those killed in the attacks.