[DEBATE] : CCS Seminar (21/4): Tamil people under seige, 12:30-2pm

[Patrick Bond]

Join us at the University of KwaZulu-Natal Centre for Civil Society for
a seminar about Tamil liberation on Tuesday

(Apologies for the short notice!)

Seminar: "The Tamil people under seige"
Speakers: Three representatives of the Tamil liberation movement youth
Date: Tuesday, 21 April 2009
Time: 12:30-2pm
Venue: CCS/SDS seminar room, Memorial Tower Building Room F208
University of KwaZulu-Natal Howard College Campus

Queries: poonenh at ukzn.ac.za or 031-260-3195

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, commonly known as the Tamil Tigers 
have been fighting for the right to self-determination of tha Tamil 
people of Sri Lanka since 1982. This liberation struggle like most 
others, was born from the discrimination and violence perpetrated 
against the ethnic Tamil society by the Sihala dominated Sri Lankan 
Government since the country gained independance. After achieveing no 
success in demanding equal rights through political and peaceful means, 
the Tamil youth took up arms.

The delegation consists of Tamil youth activists from Canada, UK and 
Australia. They are in South Africa hoping to lobby support from the 
South African Government and community for the Tamil cause.

***

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, commonly known as the Tamil Tigers 
have been fighting for the right to self-determination of tha Tamil 
people of Sri Lanka since 1982. This liberation struggle like most 
others, was born from the discrimination and violence perpetrated 
against the ethnic Tamil society by the Sihala dominated Sri Lankan 
Government since the country gained independance. After achieveing no 
success in demanding equal rights through political and peaceful means, 
the Tamil youth took up arms.

The delegation to the Centre for Civil Society consists of Tamil youth 
activists from Canada, UK and Australia. They are in South Africa hoping 
to lobby support from the South African Government and community for the 
Tamil cause.

***

*GREENLEFT WEEKLY EDITORIAL*
The Tamils need support
18 April 2009

http://www.greenleft.org.au/2009/791/40742

*One of the great crimes of modern times is occurring on the island of 
Sri Lanka without a word of protest from governments the world over. The 
Tamil people are facing genocide.*

Already this year, the death toll of Tamil civilians exceeds 4000. Often 
dozens, and in some cases hundreds, are slaughtered in a single day in 
Sri Lankan Army (SLA) bombings of the so-called safe zone, into which as 
many as
300,000 people are crowded.

Those Tamils who flee this zone are being placed into concentration 
camps by the SLA.

This brutal reality is almost entirely unreported, and not simply 
because the Sri Lankan government refuses to allow journalists access to 
the scene of its crime. Instead, the mainstream media is once again 
siding with the powerful.

When the issue is reported at all, the Sri Lankan government’s 
propaganda is repeated — the propaganda of a regime that refuses to 
allow a free press, with one of the world’s highest rates of journalists 
being murdered each year.

According to Sri Lankan propaganda, the military are merely fighting 
“terrorism”. It claims its war is merely against the Liberation Tigers 
of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), an armed group fighting for an independent Tamil 
homeland in the island’s east and north.

Yet Sri Lanka’s actions prove its war is against the Tamil people as a 
whole.

The actions of the LTTE are a response to the decades of discrimination 
and violent repression meted out to the Tamil minority by a state 
dominated by the majority Sinhalese ethnic group. Support for armed 
struggle grew among Tamils in response to the violent anti-Tamil pogroms 
in 1983 that killed more than 3000 people.

The solution to ending the decades-long war on the island, and bringing 
about desperately needed peace, is to end the oppression of the Tamil 
people.

First, and most urgently, there must be a permanent ceasefire declared. 
The mass killings must be ended. Food and medical supplies must be 
allowed into the “safe-zone”, without which aid agencies are warning of 
a terrible humanitarian crisis.

The Tamil people must regain their freedom of movement — the 
concentration camps must be closed.

Once this occurs, the conditions for a negotiated settlement to the 
crisis, which can resolve the issue of self-determination for the Tamil 
people, will exist.

However, powerful governments, in defense of powerful interests, are 
allowing the Tamil people to be sacrificed. In return, the powerful are 
manoeuvring for access to lucrative shipping routes and ports.

To avoid upsetting the racist and undemocratic regime in Colombo, that 
regime is allowed a free hand to implement a “final solution” to the 
Tamil question. Once again, the corporate elite is placing profit over 
human life.


People around the world who believe in social justice must raise their 
voices. The Tamil diaspora is desperately attempting to bring the plight 
of its people to the world’s attention. In their hundreds of thousands, 
they have marched in cities around the globe.

In India, dozens of Tamils have self-immolated to bring attention to the 
situation. In Australia, six young Tamils went on hunger strike for 
almost a week. They refused food or water, with a serious risk of death, 
in an appeal to the Australian government to press Sri Lanka to call a 
permanent ceasefire.

We cannot let them stand alone. Those who believe in social justice — 
political parties, trade unions, churches, social movements — must speak 
out against the atrocities occurring right now.

The powerful have abandoned the Tamil people, it must be ordinary people 
all over the world who use their power to force action.

When Israel levelled Gaza, millions marched in opposition. That movement 
must continue, and the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign 
seeking to isolate apartheid Israel is beginning to have effect. But 
that display of “people power” needs to be repeated on behalf of the 
Tamils.

International solidarity helped end apartheid in South Africa, despite 
Western governments siding with the regime. It helped the East Timorese 
win their independence, despite Western governments — including 
Australia — siding with Indonesia.

It is placing Israel on the back foot, despite the most powerful nations 
on Earth backing the oppressors of the Palestinian people.

Now, international solidarity must be mobilised to save the Tamil people 
and stop the genocide.