While Thai Prime Minister Visits Sri Lanka – 90,000 Tamil War Widows Face Sexual Abuse by Sri Lankan Forces: TGTE

Friday, 31 May 2013 

While Thai Prime Minister Visits Sri Lanka, 90,000 Tamil War Widows Face Sexual Abuse by Sri Lankan Forces said by TGTE

• As a leader, who is a mother, you are best suited to raise this issue.

• Urged to raise war crimes and genocide committed by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse.

• UN Internal Review Report: 70,000 Tamils killed in five months.

- In an urgent appeal to the Prime Minister of Thailand, Ms. Yingluck Shinawatra, the Prime Minister of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE), Mr. Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran, urged her to raise the plight of 90,000 Tamil war widows and their daughters during her visit to Sri Lanka. The Thai Prime Minister begins her state visit to Sri Lanka on May 30th.

“We urge you to remember that while you are visiting Sri Lanka, 90,000 Tamil war widows and their daughters are facing rape and sexual abuse by the Sri Lankan security forces.”

“We urge you to raise the plight of these widows and their daughters during your address to the Sri Lankan Parliament on May 31st. As a leader, who is a mother, you are best suited to raise this issue. We are confident you will not miss this opportunity” continued Mr. Rudrakumaran.

According to a May 2012 report by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office on Human Rights and Democracy; there are up to 90,000 Tamil war widows in the North & East of Sri Lanka.

The Thai Prime Minister was also urged to raise war crimes and genocide committed by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse and the forces under his authority.

"As a member of the UN Human Rights Council, you have a duty and responsibility to raise war crimes & genocide committed by the Sri Lankan President and his armed forces," said Mr. Rudrakumaran.

"According to a UN Internal Review Report on Sri Lanka, troops under the Sri Lankan President's command, killed over 70,000 Tamils in five months and raped hundreds of Tamil women," said Mr. Rudrakumaran. "Tamils were singled out to face these abuses simply and solely on account of their Tamil nationality."

The appeal to the Thai Prime Minister also explained that Tamils have faced repeated mass killings since 1958 and that the killings in 2009 prompted UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to appoint a Panel of Experts to report on the scale of killings. According to this UN report tens of thousands of Tamil civilians were killed in five months due to deliberate and intense shelling and bombing of areas designated by the government as "no-fire zones", where Tamil civilians had assembled for safety.

"The Sri Lankan Government also restricted food and medicine for Tamils, resulting in large numbers of people dying from starvation and many of the injured bleeding to death," noted Mr. Rudrakuamran.

According to the UN Panel, the killings and other abuses that took place amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Independent experts believe that there are elements of these abuses that constitute an act of genocide.

The UN Human Rights Council looked into this mass killing and passed two Resolutions on accountability for these international crimes in 2012 and 2013.

"According to Bishop of Mannar, Dr. Rayappu Joseph, 146,679 Tamils went missing when Sri Lankan forces attacked Tamil people. Members of the Sri Lankan security forces are almost exclusively from the Sinhalese community and the victims are all from the Tamil community," Mr. Rudrakumaran concluded.

For information contact: pmo@tgte.org

About Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE):

Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) is a new political concept. It is a new political formation based on the principles of nationhood, homeland and self-determination. The raison dâetre for the TGTE is lack of political space inside the island of Sri Lanka for the Tamils to articulate and realize their political aspirations fully due to Constitutional impediments, racist political environment and military strangulation; and the coordination of diaspora political activities based on democratic principles and the rule of law.

TGTE held internationally supervised elections in 12 countries. These elections were held to ensure that core believe of democracy be upheld within the TGTE and to demonstrate TGTE’s belief and reliance upon democratic ideals. TGTE has a bicameral legislature and a Cabinet. Although an elected body, TGTE does not claim to be a government in exile. The Constitution of the TGTE mandates that it should realize its political objective only through peaceful means.

Presently, in addition to the campaign for an international investigation, the TGTE is also campaigning for an International Protection Mechanism and the release of documents pertaining to Tamils prepared by the Office of the Special Advisor of the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide. TGTE is also in the process of preparing the Freedom Charter incorporating the “freedom demands” of Tamils across the globe.

TGTE believes that the referendum among the Tamils inside the island of Sri Lanka and the Tamil diaspora will contribute to the political resolution of the Tamil national conflict. So far, the human cost has reached 100,000 as it grows. There are also 90,000 Tamil war widows, facing sexual abuse by the Sri Lankan security forces.

For information contact: pmo@tgte.org

Web: www.tgte-us.org

Courtesy - http://world.einnews.com/

Thailand, SL should promote Buddhist way of life: Thai PM

FRIDAY, 31 MAY 2013 

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra told Sri Lanka's parliament today the two countries should work together to strengthen Buddhism as a religion and as a way of life.

Yingluck, in Colombo on a two-day visit to commemorate the 260th anniversary of Sri Lankan Buddhist monks obtaining higher ordination from Thailand, followed her brother in addressing parliament.

Then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra addressed parliament in 2003 on a visit to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the same event.

Yingluck added both Sri Lanka and Thailand deeply value democracy, which "is not an internal affair" of any other country.

She also had talks with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and will also visit Kandy.

Yingluck will be also signing bilateral agreements on tourism, science and technology during her stay in Sri Lanka.(Kyodo)