TGTE Wants International Protection Mechanism For Tamils In Sri Lanka

By Manicka Vasagar -

Manicka Vasagar, TGTE MP

A Warm Vannakkam to all of you,

You have to travel and see the world, to realise how good and luckyMalaysiais. Malaysia is a model, for live and let live , but need to develop a bit more further in accommodating all its people, especially the Indians and embrace them with opportunities to make oneMalaysiaand only Malaysia Boleh, a reality.

The richness, the friendly people, the culture, the food, the fruits, the environment, and the rain – it pours here around 4 o’clock, not today please. I enjoy watching the rain drops, but not in traffic jam.

Delegates enjoy the food and the fruits here, the variety, the freshness, and it’s bloody cheap. Makan makan is the best here.

But I leftMalaysiamore that 40 years ago, because I married a foreigner. It is still sad to read in the papers that there are still many Indians born here are still waiting to become citizens.

Mr Chairman, I came to talk about the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam TGTE (Nadu Kadantha Tamil Eela Arasangam)

The Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) is a political formation to win the freedom of the Tamil people in the North and East of Sri Lanka, on the basis of their fundamental political principles of nationhood, homeland, and the right of self determination. At present the Tamil people have absolutely no prospect of articulating their political aspirations or of exercising their fundamental rights in their homeland itself.

TGTE is a democratically elected body by the Tamil Diasporas, from many countries around the world, pursuing a peaceful permanent political solution to Tamil Eelam, I repeat, so that our people can live in peace, with security, with dignity and prosper as a nation. After 63 years of subjugation, with more than 300,000 lives lost, and with all options tested, tried but all failed miserably, there is only one option, a permanent solution, a political solution, a separate state of Tamil Eelam.

We have been cheated, cheated, fooled and fooled, not once, not twice, but again and again, for the last 63 years and is going on to this very day, delaying, deviating, ducking and diverting, with killings, rape, murder, threats and lies.

As you may be aware of the report by the UN’s panel of experts on accountability in Sri Lanka, and Channel 4 – the Killing Fields of Sri Lanka, that crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of aggression were committed against the Tamil people in the war that ended in May 2009, where an estimated figure of more than 40,000 were killed, all cornered into a lagoon, bombed and massacred with all doors closed to the IC, including the UN, the international Red Cross, Amnesty International, Human Rights Groups and International medias. Women, children, elderly, disabled, many begging, many died of thirst, many bled to death, without medicine or medication. There are still more than 146,000 people still unaccounted for, either death, or in captivity or missing. The war has resulted in more than 80,000 widows and 60,000 children without both parents.

Now nearly 4 years after the war, there is ethnic cleansing and genocide taking place on our people in the North and East. The heavily militarised zones in the Tamil areas are instilling fear and terror on the people with rape, murder, and torture.

The Tamil diasporas in Europe,America,Canada, Asia Pacific and from Africa have casted their votes democratically and elected 115 members to the TGTE Parliament. We have a constitution and have elected our Prime Minister in Hon Visvanathan Rudrakumaran and we have a Cabinet. We all got together and have had four Parliamentary sittings, one in Philadelphia,New York,Buffalo and last month in London. Because we are transnational, all over the world, we also meet on Skype every month. We have passed resolutions and are progressing towards achieving Tamil Eelam.

TGTE is highlighting the plights of the Tamils to foreign friendly governments, to the international community, to the local and INGOs, taking it up with the UNHRC in Geneva, to the UN, to the International medias, exposing the truth, what actually happened before the war, what happened during the war, what happened after the war, and what is happening as we speak with the military occupation , with rape, murder, torture, colonisation singhalanisation, buddishism of the Tamil areas, and further subjugating the Tamil people’s aspirations and their political rights.

We in the TGTE are mobilising and coordinating the Tamil Diaspora and the IC to move and shake the GoSL to conform to the norms of international laws, human rights and the UN Charter and to release and separate the Tamil Nation from the Sinhala Nation.

I am sure you can read in the media and in the internet very clearly what is happening to the Tamils in SL.

Service to humanity comes in many shapes and forms. You are all humanist, because you share with many that there will be no peace within us without justice for our people or to any minorities.

They think that they have won the war, but as the great Mahatma Gandhi said, they now realise that the economic and political war is more potent than a military war.

We believe the obligation and responsibility is now with the IC, respected governments, respected diplomats and politicians around the world, human rights defenders, defenders of peace and justice, you the delegates, more so all of us here present, to raise and continue to voice against state terrorism and protect minorities and human rights. We all need to take the lead role with TGTE to resolve this Tamil issue, once and for all Tamils.

We need your support, in whatever way you can.

We are asking the IC for an investigation and explanation on how and why more than 40,000 Tamils were killed in May 2009. There are still 146,000 Tamils unaccounted for, either dead or missing. The Tamil Diaspora will continue to agitate and demonstrate peacefully until peace and security for our people and our land is guaranteed by the IC.

We are demanding an Independent international Investigation into war crimes, crimes against humanity during the war, and the ethnic cleansing and genocide taking place, an international protection mechanism for the safety of the Tamil people in SL (Responsibility to Protect) and an internationally supervised referendum for the Tamil people in the North and East and for the Tamil Diaspora to decide their future.

At our last 4^th Parliamentary sitting in London last month, TGTE concluded with endorsement of several Action Plans.

1 Urged UNSG Mr Ban Ki Moon to appoint International Commission of Inquiry under Article 99.

2 2013 – as a Year to empower Women of Tamil Eelam

3 Release all Jaffna University Students

4 Calling for economic Boycott and Divestment.

5 Congratulated our Palestinians brothers on their appointment as observers, expressed concerns on the plight of Rohinga Muslims inMyanmar

6 Calling for a promulgation of a Freedom Charter and a roadmap for Tamil Eelam

The two democratically elected Tamil representatives, the Tamil National Alliance from within Sri Lanka and the TGTE representing the Tamil Diaspora are at the table to negotiate a peaceful permanent political solution. The IC and our governments, including you and me, have this obligation and responsibility.

The Malaysians have to play an important role and are crucial in bringing justice and a peace for the people in Eelam. Thank you for pressing your politicians and your government for not supporting Sri Lanka at the last March resolution in UNHRC in Geneva. We need your unity, your support, your guidance, for us to move forward to achieve Tamil Eelam, to live in peace, with dignity, to maintain our culture, and our heritage.

We all need to unite, with one voice, pull all our resources and work towards Tamil Eelam. We can do it, we will do it.

Tamil problems belong to all Tamils. We are Tamils, Tamilan, Thamilar.

*Speech made by TGTE MP, Manicka Vasagar of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam at the World Thamilar Protection Conference which was held in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.

Watch the event;