The Diaspora factor

War on terror revisited: a battle abroad

June 14, 2012

By Shamindra Ferdinando

GTF spokesman, Suren Surendiran with South African President Zuma

‘President Rajapaksa is in a hell of a predicament also because as the Commander in Chief of the Military, he is alleged to have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. With mounting evidence, he is trying to negotiate, perhaps barter justice with a political solution as he knows that the day he relinquishes his position as head of state, he is likely to be arrested just as Charles Taylor of Liberia or Milosevic of former Yugoslavia.’

While the LTTE was retreating rapidly on the Vanni east front, following a debilitating setback at Kilinochchi in the first week of January, 2009, the Tamil Diaspora groups emerged as its successor. The UK-based Global Tamil Forum (GTF) is now at the forefront of an internationally backed campaign to haul Sri Lankan leaders up before an international war crimes tribunal over accountability issues.

The GTF displayed its power when President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited London at the invitation of the UK, to participate in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations recently.

Suren Surendiran with David Miliband

The UK-based GTF spokesman Suren Suendiran, in an exclusive with The Islandvowed to pressure the GoSL to take meaningful measures to address accountability issues. "We’ll not cease our campaign until those responsible for atrocities are identified through an international investigative mechanism and punished."

Surendiran said that he last visited Sri Lanka in 2010, though he wouldn’t want to come back again until the restoration of law and order.

The following are excerpts of the interview:

(Q) What is your perspective of the Indo-Lanka Peace Accord?

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