Need of a savior for the desperate Tamil in Sri Lanka

sri lanka tamils

In common parlance Saviour, – [Called as Messiah in the Hebrew Bible]  –  is usually regarded “As a liberator or would be liberator of an oppressed people ”.  Looking back at the crisis ridden political history and turmoil’s of Tamils in Sri Lanka since 1948 and viewing the current predicament of Tamils “It is not unreasonable to call for a dynamic Tamil Leader with unfailing loyalty, determination, unwavering stand and sincere dedication to tackle the burning causes of Tamils and lead them to ensure their full political rights and existence saving them from an equally determined Sinhalese leaders and parties and chauvinistic Governments which are covertly and methodically executing the agenda of Sinhalisisation and Buddhisisation since 1948 to achieve their goal of a SINHALA BUDDHIST STATE OF SRI LANKA.  The tools employed for this genocidal program by the Sri Lankan Governments are state legislation, racial discrimination and marginalization, erasing of cultural, linguistic, religious and ethnic identitities. These are the usual weapons employed by the majority community of any state in the world against to the minority communities like the recent   expulsion of Rohinya Muslims by the majority Buddhist Government in Myanmar.

These inhuman acts of Myanmar have been recognized as a genocide against the Rohinya Muslims. When one considers the harms inflicted and suffered by the Tamils in the hands of Sinhalese Governments and its Security Forces, the human rights violations committed by the Sri Lankan Governments also without any doubt constitute genocide.

The purpose of the article is to highlight as to who can arrest and stop the ongoing structural genocide besides agitating for transnational and remedial justice for the Tamils. The obvious choices appear to be the United Nations, UN Human Rights Council, International Community and UN Security Council. It is a redeeming feature to note the initiation of several meaningful and constructive steps taken by them though belatedly like the Investigations, Resolutions and Recommendations right from 2012  though it will take some time for the full implementation of those recommendations, yet the victimized Tamils as a last resort are pinning their hopes on United Nations, UNHRC and International Community and UN Security Council to ensure the dispensation of accountability, justice and rule of law including a permanent and just political settlement for the oppressed Tamils.  However, a heavier duty also lies on them to take appropriate measures to stop the ongoing structural genocide against the Tamils in Sri Lanka including the continuing crimes of torture, arbitrary arrests and unlawful detention of political opponents and human rights activists under the provisions of the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act [PTA].Madam Jasmin Sooka – Executive Director of International Truth and Justice Project – Sri Lanka in her recent statement highlighted the “The ongoing practice of torture by the Sri Lankan security forces”, which is now fully entrenched in the Sri Lanka’s system encouraged by another entrenched culture of state impunity.

The United Nations and UN Security Council earlier failed to prevent and or stop the several massacres of Tamil civilians which were unfolding and duly witnessed by them through various satellite channels and informed to them by the Reports of several UN Officials, Human Rights Organizations, individuals and independent observers as confessed and confirmed by the former UN Secretary General His Excellency Ban-ki-Moon in 2016. As a result

The UN and Security Council’s credibility took the beating for their inexplicable and deadly silence coupled with inaction.

It has now become an inevitable necessity for the UN, UNHRC and Security Council to come to terms by taking proper steps vindicating their roles, duties and responsibilities as upholders and guardians of human rights to ensure and guarantee the safety, security, dignity and self respect of citizens of the world of nations.

In this respect, the role of Tamil National Alliance [TNA] and other party leaders don the crucial and leading dominant roles to be fully engaged with the UN, UNHRC and the International Community to advance the causes of Tamils with concrete and realistic steps hand in hand with non-violent ground agitations to coerce Sri Lanka to reverse and halt its embedded genocide agenda and offer the elusive permanent and just political settlement for the Tamils. It is imperative that any future acceptable political settlement must have the international and or United Nations guarantee to ensure its compliance and recommendations to avoid falling into the possible trap of any Sri Lanka’s deceptive oral and written pledges or undertakings which as usual end up shredded or rejected or left untouched to keep them intact or even swept under the carpet. It is a requisite that history must not be allowed to repeat itself.

The Tamil; political parties and leaders are fully aware of the past dark history of betrayals, torn and broken pacts including oral and written pledges and undertakings. Once bitten twice shy cannot be a continuing exercise and experience.

It cannot be denied that the current Tamil political parties and Leaders are piloting a rudderless boat without any direction and correct path while also afflicted with the entrenched disease of disunity, personal hostilities, rivalries and unhealthy competitions as to who should take the lead in the dominant role in the politics of Tamils. In this harmful race, the sufferers are the traumatized Tamils being left behind while feeling abandoned with no hopes and desolation. The Leaders of the three main political parties and the Leaders of the other small parties occasionally meet united to discuss a unified stand focusing on unity among them and later issue strong and convincing statements calling for joint action. As usual, the forged semblance of farcical unity coupled with promising optimistic statements remain as records safely deposited to lie in state until the next session of unity. It is high time the fake nationalists and pseudo human rights champions and activists are voted out from the political field and scene to Tamils to provide opportunity for the young sincere and dedicated leaders to take up the fight for the causes of Tamils assuming the role of saviours and leaving no room for opportunistic politics and concessions and conciliation seeking politicians and their agenda. The Tamil Civil Groups, Human Rights Activists and Human Rights Organizations including university members and students have to rise to the occasion to fill the current vacuum of leadership of Tamils and take hold of the nagging problems faced by the Tamils forging a united front with a common program and agenda of non-violent actions against Sinhalisisation, Budhdhisisation and Militarization which are steadily and rapidly progressing to swallow up the Tamils homeland and nationalism leading to a possible extinction of Tamils through assimilation erasing their historical existence and evidences.

As has been in the past, Tamil Leaders excel in making eloquent speeches during parliamentary sessions and have the feeling of smug satisfaction of having tackled the scorching problems of the Tamils, but on the contrary the problems of Tamils are left behind for festering and growth.

In this respect, the initiatives taken by USA, European Union and UNHRC welcome and timely who are also playing the role of saviours while planting the stepping stones to reach the goals and aspirations of Tamils including remedial justice while the young, sincere and dedicated aspiring leaders should step in simultaneously to fill the current vacuum of leadership for the Tamils and sustain a coordinated viable program of action based and guided by the UNHRC Resolutions and Recommendations of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ Her Excellency Michael  Bachlet which were made on January 27, 2021.

It is the strong hope of Tamils in Sri Lanka that the United Nations, UNHRC and UN Security Council will deliver the goods clamoured by them for long without falling for any paper value pledges or undertakings of Sri Lanka particularly without much dependence on any piecemeal and placating measures of Sri Lanka viewing its continuous rejections of UNHRC and its Resolutions along with accountability, justice and rule of law.

Thambu Kanagasabai – LLM [London] Former Lecturer in Law, University of Colombo.

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