A PRESS RELEASE FROM Mr V. RUDRAKUMARAN

originally posted on 16/06/09
edited on 22/06/09...

A press statement has been released by Mr Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran, Coordinator of the Committee for the formation of a Provisional Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam.

The legitimate campaign of the Tamils to realize their right to self-determination has been brutally crushed through military aggression, which has been in violation of humanitarian laws and all civilized norms. People all over the world are shocked and deeply saddened by the massacres of Tamils in the Vanni.

Of particular note, banned weapons and heavy shelling by the Sinhalese military were responsible for the massacre of an estimated 30,000 Tamil civilians in the no fire zone this year. Today the government of Sri Lanka continues to incarcerate 300,000 Tamils, who have been herded into internment camps guarded by the Sinhalese military. The UN, INGOS and other relief organizations and journalists have been barred from free access to these internment camps. Those Tamils who live outside the camps hardly fare better in terms of their safety and well-being. The Jaffna Peninsula is an open prison camp. The Eastern part of the island, part of traditional habitation of Tamil-speaking people, is occupied territory. The South of the island is under the control of an anti-Tamil government, and the Tamils who live there are securitized, harassed and live in constant fear of violence. All Tamil civilians are being targeted solely on account of their Tamil ethnicity. Tamils are on the verge of being annihilated as a nation, a people and a community through deliberate killing and disappearance, forced assimilation, ethnic cleansing and colonization.

Not only is the very physical survival of Tamils in danger in the island of Sri Lanka, but Tamils also do not have any political space to articulate their legitimate political aspirations on the island.
Politicians who articulate the voices of their people are in grave danger of their life. Three Tamil Members of Parliament have been killed since Pres. Rajapakse was elected in 2005, more have fled the country and the ones who remain are very brave. In addition, because of the systematic colonization of Tamil areas, the gerrymandering of electoral districts, the large numbers who were driven from or fled the Tamil areas because of violence and the lack of new voter registration, Tamil representation has decreased substantially in the legislature since independence. Moreover, the electoral process in the island of Sri Lanka is entrenched with pervasive racism and has resulted in further marginalization and oppression of Tamil people at each and every election as acknowledged by academics. Consequently the Tamils are denied effective participation in the political process of the island.

A symptom of this lack of political space is the 1983 Sixth Amendment which prohibits even discussion of a separate state in violation of freedom of speech. The physical insecurity of Tamils is embodied in the 1979 Prevention of Terrorism Act which has been described as “an ugly blot on the statute book of any civilized country” by the International Commission of Jurists, and in the Emergency laws that have allowed hundreds of thousands of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, torture and rape of Tamils with total impunity by the perpetrators. There is no political space for the full articulation of Tamil political aspirations within the constraints of the Sri Lankan state’s constitutional structure, and, with the lack of personal security for Tamils within the island, the Tamils’ political campaign for their rights can be pursued only from outside the island.

We, the people of Tamil Eelam and its Diaspora, therefore, firmly believe that the formation of a Provisional Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam is imperative. It is a well accepted proposition in international law that the legal claim to establish a government in exile arises the more readily when the exclusion of its political leaders is achieved through acts contrary to principles of ius cogens, such as the unlawful use of force, abductions with a view to torture, genocide, war crimes, detention in internment camps or “open prisons,” the rape of women and the kidnapping of children.

In this connection, we, the people of Tamil Eelam and its Diaspora, propose to put together a committee for the Formation of a Provisional Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam. Our program and efforts in this regard are fundamentally democratic.

The Committee is given the task of structuring such a provisional government, with the view of

1. Uniting all Tamil entities and elements who subscribe to the fundamental tenets of Tamil political aspiration, namely the recognition of Tamil Nationhood, a Tamil homeland as recognized in the 1987 Indo- Sri Lanka Agreement, and the Tamils’ right to self-determination found in the 1976 Vaddukoddai Resolution, which was subsequently endorsed and mandated in the general election of 1977, the 1985 Thimpu Declaration and the 2003 Interim Self-Governing Authority (ISGA) proposals;

2. Working in partnership with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), considering that the political policies and aspirations articulated by the TNA at consecutive elections in 2001 and 2004 were strongly endorsed and, thereby mandated, by the Tamil people, and with any other Tamil political party or representatives of other parties that support and advocate for the realization of the Tamils’ right to self-determination.

3. Articulating positions for negotiations with the Sinhala nation;

4. Conducting voter registration among the Tamil Diaspora within various countries in collaboration with an internationally reputed firm in preparation for electing a constituent assembly to frame a Constitution and to vote at a referendum subject to international supervision with respect to a final resolution of the Tamil national question;

5. Establishing procedures for electing a Congress and an Executive;

6. Establishing direct links with foreign Governments and other international organizations;

7. Working for the social, economic and cultural well-being of the one million members of the Tamil Diaspora;

8. Building a political program with the participation of Muslim representatives, taking into account that the diversity of Tamil and Muslim regions has been used as a threat in the past against the realization of the Tamils’ right to self-determination;

9. Performing such other tasks as may be necessary to promote the interests of the Tamil people in the North East of the island of Sri Lanka and the Tamil Diaspora.
Given the urgent need to halt the ongoing genocide of Tamils on the island, the Committee is also given the task of liaising with international nongovernmental organizations and international organizations to ensure that Tamils’ physical survival is guaranteed; to stop the sexual violence against Tamil women; to stop the physical abuse of Tamil children by the Sri Lankan government’s mono-ethnic armed forces and ensure their speedy reunification with their families; to ensure the return of the 300,000 Tamils held in internment camps to their homes and to bring to justice those who have committed genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The Committee shall also liaise with organizations representing the global Tamil Diaspora from various parts of the world and, especially, the second generation, to realize its task.

Members of the Formation Committee consist of a core team and many subcommittees on a country and sector basis, and are now being recruited.

The Formation Committee is supported by an Advisory Committee of experts in various fields. Professor M. Sornarajah (UK), Professor Francis Boyle (USA), Professor P. Ramasamy (Malaysia), Professor Rev A.J.C Chandrakanthan (Canada), Professor Nadaraja Sriskandarajah (Sweden), Dr Murugar Gunasingham (Australia), Dr Sivanendran Seevanayagam (Australia), Dr A.L. Vasanthakumar (UK), Ms Karen Parker (USA), Dr N. Jeyalingam (USA), Mr Selva Sivarajah (Australia), Mr Paul Williams (Netherlands) and Professor Peter Schalk (Sweden) have agreed to function as Advisory Committee members.

We kindly request all committed individuals to come forward to work for the important task of the formation of a Provisional Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam.

The Formation Committee is expected to function until December 31, 2009. Upon completion of its term, the Committee is required to produce a report of its work. The Committee invites suggestions from the general public in the above matter. In this connection the Committee has setup an email address for the public to use – info@govtamileelam.org


Courtesy :
TamilNational

Tamils on mission to rebrand Tigers

But with no presence inside Sri Lanka, and a wanted arms smuggler as leader, defeated rebels face an uphill battle

Ravi Nessman
ASSOCIATED PRESS

COLOMBO – Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels are trying to rise from the ashes of their devastating battlefield defeat, swearing off violence and pledging to transform their internationally shunned terror group into a democratic movement for Tamil statehood.

Their rebranding effort faces long odds. The Tamil Tigers' self-proclaimed new leader is a wanted arms smuggler, the group has no presence inside Sri Lanka and the government has brushed off the remaining rebels as irrelevant. It's not even clear if anyone is really in charge of the tattered and demoralized group.

"There is no LTTE now, because we have totally destroyed their capabilities and their hierarchy," said Media Minister Anura Yapa, referring to the rebels by an acronym of their formal name, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

The rebels once controlled a shadow state across northern Sri Lanka backed by thousands of guerrilla fighters, a navy and even a nascent air force. They were crushed by government forces last month after a quarter century of civil war.

In the final days of the battle, the military killed much of the Tamil Tigers' leadership, including Velupillai Prabhakaran, the unquestioned ruler of the group. His dispatch of hundreds of suicide attackers – whose victims ranged from former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi to commuters in a train station – landed the group on terror lists around the world.

Now, nearly 300,000 ethnic Tamil civilians from the rebels' former stronghold are being held in displacement camps in the north as security forces sweep through the rest of the country searching for remaining sleeper cells.

But the rebels also maintained a vast international support network among the estimated 800,000 Tamil expatriates living in Canada, Australia, Britain and other countries.

In the wake of Prabhakaran's death, Selvarasa Pathmanathan, the group's chief of international relations, has seized the leadership mantle and immediately begun trying to recreate the Tamil Tigers' image.

He acknowledged the rebels could no longer hope to achieve their dream of a separate state for minority Tamils – known as Eelam – on the battlefield and renounced violence. He promised the group would reorganize itself based on democratic principles – a major change from Prabhakaran's almost cultlike leadership style. And he announced the creation of a committee to set up a "provisional transnational government" for the proposed Tamil state.

"The struggle of the people of Tamil Eelam for their right to self-rule has reached a new stage," he said in a statement Monday. "It is time now for us to move forward with our political vision towards our freedom, bearing in mind the practical realities in our homeland."

Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran, a former rebel legal adviser appointed to head the committee, said he planned to register Tamils abroad to vote for a constitutional assembly. The committee would also reach out to foreign governments and create a platform for negotiations with Sri Lanka.

But Pathmanathan may not be the ideal person to transform the Tamil Tigers into an internationally respected liberation movement.

Known as "KP," he ran the group's vast international weapons-smuggling ring and remains a wanted man internationally. The government has appealed to foreign governments in recent days to find and arrest him.

"I don't know where he is, but basically we are asking his extradition from whatever country (he is in)," Yapa said.


Courtesy :
The Star
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/653982

Sri Lanka scoffs at new Tamil exiled government

By C. Bryson Hull

COLOMBO, June 17 (Reuters) - The remnants of the Tamil Tigers have vowed to form a government in exile to push their separatist cause, which Sri Lanka on Wednesday called an "hallucination" and another illegal attempt to violate its unitary status.

The decision came less than a month after the Sri Lankan military finally crushed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in a 25-year civil war, and President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared Sri Lanka reunified.

Selvarajah Pathmanathan, the top remaining LTTE leader, in a voice clip e-mailed on Tuesday signed off on the formation of a committee to create a "provisional transnational government of Tamil Eelam to take forward the next phase of the struggle".

Tamil Eelam was the name for the separate state the LTTE fought to create for Sri Lanka's Tamils, and what it had called the areas of northern and eastern Sri Lanka it had ruled until the end of the war.

Reacting to the announcement, Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said "imagination will lead to hallucinations" and said the country had stepped up efforts to have Pathmanathan, known as KP, arrested.

"I have carried personally the arrest warrants for KP and handed them over to my counterparts in several countries and I expect the earliest arrest of KP. He will stand trial in the judicial system in our country," Bogollagama told reporters.

Pathmanathan spent most of his career building and operating the LTTE's weapons and smuggling networks, and is wanted by Interpol.

IN HIDING

He is believed to have control over the LTTE's substantial financial assets and is thought to be in hiding somewhere in southeast Asia under one of his many assumed names.

Pathmanathan named a committee, to be led by former LTTE peace negotiator Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran, which is expected to form a plan by the end of the year to create the government.

"We call all Tamil people and Tamil organisations to provide this committee their wholehearted support and assistance," Pathmanathan said.

Pathmanathan is the highest-ranking LTTE member believed still alive after most of the leadership including founder Vellupillai Prabhakaran were killed in a cataclysmic final battle.

Rajiva Wijesinha, the head of Sri Lanka's peace secretariat, said the plan was an attempt by the "rump of the LTTE" to keep its control over Tamil politics in Sri Lanka.

"It is an effort by the Tigers to pursue yet another illegal action, and I only hope the world won't react positively," Wijesinha said. "The real problem is it puts pressure on the democratic Tamil parties."

In his announcement, Pathmanathan said the Tamil National Alliance, a grouping of Tamil parties long known as its front, would remain so.

Col. R. Hariharan, a security analyst who was head of military intelligence for India's 1987-1990 peacekeeping mission to Sri Lanka, said the plan was more likely an effort to harness the financial resources the LTTE left all over the world.

"It is more connected with recouping the Tigers assets," he said. "Nobody will recognise it in any case, but some countries might tolerate this kind of thing. There are kinds of ghost governments in existence."

OPINION: Mr S. Pathmanathan & legitimate representation of Tamils

LET US WORK UNITED & STOP THE IC DEMONISING US AS BEING/SUPPORTING ONE OR THE OTHER.

Those who would NOT fit in a democratic setup of Tamils should not ruin the Tamils' cry for democratic legitimacy & international recognition. It's crucial for us, Eelam Tamils, to act wisely.

DO NOT LET ANY ANTI-TAMIL FORCES TO DEMONISE OUR LEGITIMATE REPRESENTATION.

Mr.Selvarasa Pathmanathan may have worked hard for Tamil nation in different ways. Though I have lot of respect for him, I do NOT think he is the man to lead us in an elected democratic Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam. If he wants to do good for Tamils, he should keep himself out of it & let Tamils who can't be demonised by Sinhala state & IC for any involvement which would be used to demonise the democratic Transnational Government Of Tamil Eelam in any way or form . As he is indicted & a wanted man by Interpol, he would NOT serve any good for Tamils in a democratic setup which badly needs international recognition. This body will loose legitimacy & support if he involves. This new democratic body will be a laugh in the eyes of International Community(IC).


“It’s definitely progress,” Prem Hariendran, a student at the University of Portsmouth, said. “No one is listening to our rallies but if we have a provisional government people should listen.”

With an indicted arms dealer at its head, that is questionable - says Times,UK

read more @
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6515026.ece





The Times, UK artcle in Full


Tamil Tiger rebels' chance to keep the nationalist dream alive

by Catherine Philp and James Bishop


Provisional transnational government is not the snappiest of phrases. But its vagueness, and the emphasis on the global Tamil network, is exactly what the handful of surviving Tiger leaders are aiming for as they struggle to work out how best to resurrect their bloodied, beaten cause.

For weeks Tamils around the world have waited for word from their leaders-in-exile about what would happen next. Until Selvarasa Pathmanathan confirmed that the Tigers’ supreme leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, was indeed dead, many in the diaspora refused to believe it.

Mr Pathmanathan’s pronouncement is the best chance they now have of keeping the Tamil nationalist dream alive. About half the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora live in Canada — 400,000 — and in Britain, where they number 300,000. There are also smaller but vocal communities in Norway and Germany.

In Parliament Square, where British Tamils have been staging a protest against the Sri Lankan Government since April, there was a cautious welcome for Mr Pathmanathan’s call.

“It’s definitely progress,” Prem Hariendran, a student at the University of Portsmouth, said. “No one is listening to our rallies but if we have a provisional government people should listen.”

With an indicted arms dealer at its head, that is questionable. Sri Lanka has fended off much international criticism of its conduct during the military offensive by insisting on its right to wipe out a home-based terrorist force. Many foreign governments have been reluctant to confront Colombo over its conduct, given their own battles with terrorists.

None of which is any consolation to the thousands of Tamil civilians languishing in camps. This week Manmohan Singh, the Indian Prime Minister, added his voice to the growing international chorus, warning Sri Lanka that lasting peace cannot be achieved without reconciliation. Sri Lanka’s problems, he said, were “larger than the LTTE” and Tamils still nurse bitter grievances.

Mr Hariendran is a good example. “We don’t just want a government abroad, we want one in Sri Lanka,” he said. “The only solution we will accept is a separate country for ourselves.”

Breaking the deadlock through transnational governance

The need of the time now is the metamorphosis of the existing infrastructure into a democratic and inclusive transnational government of Eezham Tamils to strengthen the diaspora socially, economically and culturally; to achieve the goal of independence and sovereignty of Eezham Tamils in the home country and to meet the international challenges internationally. Many of our readers confuse between the concepts of transnational government and government in exile. While the government in exile is a conventional phenomenon that needs a host country, the transnational government is a novel experiment that has no precedence.

A government in exile functions outside of its territory with an aim of taking control of that territory. Such a government may have already existed in an independent and sovereign country and have lost its power or may have been formed anew to claim an independent and sovereign country. Whatever the case may be, a government in exile needs a host country.

But the transnational government we speak of is a novel experiment that has no precedence.

Whatever excuses there may be, the contemporary world system including its apex body the United Nations, have shown least regards for the life, safety, dignity and human rights of Eezham Tamils and even now continue to abet structural genocide in the island of Sri Lanka.

There is no second word that all Eezham Tamils are traumatised and grieved by the grave injustice committed on them by the entire world system. Unless the world system recognizes the self-determination of Eezham Tamils and directly intervenes in the island, no justice is going to be seen.

With the kind of blunders made by the powers involved in forfeiting leverages and with the development of new axes in the region, it is doubtful whether the world system will have any pressure to act on its own to justify the cause of Eezham Tamils other than oppressing them further to accept subjugation within the rot of the united Sri Lanka.

It is the ways of the contemporary world system that impels Eezham Tamils to respond with the unique experiment of a transnational government to safe guard their unity, identity, dignity, aspirations and well-being.

A contemporary reality that is going to be faced by Eezham Tamils in the home country is compulsion in brutal ways by Colombo, the Indian Establishment and by certain other powers to drop Tamil national aspirations and to accept an imposed Sri Lankan identity.

Colombo is already intimidating with success the subservient Tamil political entities to drop the ethnic identity. What is proposed is a ‘home grown solution’ that is none other than structural genocide.

The Indian Establishment and its agents are said to be busy in forging a ‘coalition’ of political parties, not to go beyond the 'Rajiv’s dream' of 13th Amendment. It is also said that certain sections in the West are also behind it.

A situation is going to emerge in which no Tamil in the home country could open mouth to ask for justice and to express their heart-felt aspirations.

Only the diaspora and the transnational government could uphold the freedom of aspiration and freedom of expression of Eezham Tamils.

Those who have to face the reality from the ‘conquerors’ in Colombo and New Delhi may do so for survival but the transnational government should emerge in parallel in the diaspora to uphold the unconquered spirit of Eezham Tamils, to support the political course in the homeland and to see the Eezham Tamil politics are not hijacked by others. The transnational government need not openly include the home politicians even though both should collaborate with each other.

The disastrous geopolitics played by the Beijing-New Delhi-Islamabad axis and the West at the cost of Eezham Tamils, undeservingly favouring genocidal Colombo and the continued injustice they are committing, are not ephemeral episodes to subside with patchwork solutions envisaged by the conquerors and geopolitical players.

When the volcano erupts, a genuine support the Eezham Tamils at home could fall back on is going to be nothing but a transnational government of the diaspora.

Therefore, all Tamil political players, irrespective of differences and shades of opinion, should extend support to forge such an outfit, at least symbolic in the beginning.

One of the positive achievements of the LTTE is the international infrastructure uniting and motivating the diaspora. Otherwise the diaspora would have gone astray like the 19th century migrants.

The need of the time now is the metamorphosis of the infrastructure into a democratic and inclusive transnational government of Eezham Tamils to strengthen the diaspora socially, economically and culturally; to achieve the goal of independence and sovereignty of Eezham Tamils in the home country and to meet the international challenges internationally.

It is not a must that the transnational government needs a host country to operate. What is actually needed is the will power of more than a million Eezham Tamils living across the world.

Despite a global ban, if the LTTE had successfully demonstrated a global infrastructure in raising revenue, in mobilising the masses and in running economic and cultural institutions, why a democratised and inclusive transnational government not feasible?

If multinational corporations can operate as successful power centres why can’t transnational governments?

Some of our readers have mailed meaningful feedback how such a government can viably operate for the well-being of the diaspora as well as for the liberation of the people in the home country.

If the traumatised Eezham Tamils at home are going to be kept voiceless by the conquerors and the international community, at least the traumatised diaspora should be immediately engaged with a positive and noble venture of resurrection. Otherwise the diaspora will be disillusioned.

However, the process of this noble venture is not a hasty affair. For a smooth beginning, primarily it needs consensus of the existing infrastructure, and to become inclusive it needs the consensus of the circles outside of it also. It needs a strong foundation, careful planning and step-by-step implementation. The existing infrastructure has a greater responsibility in the metamorphosis from command structure to representative structure.

Possible steps are re-affirming the political fundamentals of the Vaddukkoaddai resolution through mandate, electing representatives at national as well as at global level for an Assembly, which will also initially be a constitutional assembly, and then electing an executive.

It is also advisable to create as many as possible grass-root democratic organizations among Eezham Tamils, vested with specific tasks to face the different facets of the current misery. Such grass-root institutions are helpful in sustaining and safe guarding the democratic nature of the superstructure of transnational governance.

If successful, and if the time demands, the transnational government can also become the government in exile.

An important prerequisite with the Eezham Tamil people, who for ages have seen nothing but deception, is that those who take the proposals for implementation with people need to be above all suspicion. Sectarian initiatives will only bungle the move at the outset itself.

Obviously the move for a transnational government based on democratic mandate is going to raise eyebrows in the Establishments that have a strong reservation against Eezham Tamil nationalism and want to erase it by coercion, deception, seemingly sympathetic talk and the hoodwink of devolution and development. Any genuinely mass-oriented structure will only be viewed more dangerous than armed groups that could readily be lured to play stooges to them. But the Eezham Tamils pushed to frustration’s end can’t help looking after their own affairs at their own will power. They need not any more care for other’s national or imperial interests unless there are returns.

It is not out of context to bring in here two examples from the South Asian scenario:

Those who have travelled in the northeastern frontier states of India might have noticed that people from these states whenever travel to Kolkata (Culcutta) and beyond, use to say that they go to ‘India’. In their heart, India is a foreign country, different from theirs and perhaps a coloniser. The Indian Establishment, which attempts to impose Sri Lankan identity on Eezham Tamils, after all what had happened and while the threat of genocide persists, should realise the futility of it at least through its own experience.

Anyone who compares the Tibetan refugees and the Eezham Tamil refugees in India can see a big difference in the treatment. The Tibetans are allowed a government in exile. They are allowed to manage themselves through their own co-operative systems. They are also helped and allowed to develop into an affluent identity on par with Anglo Indians. From the status of refugees in India they now operate all over the world with dignity and self-assurance. Their nationhood is now respected and recognised everywhere in the world, even though their independence and sovereignty are not conceded by China.

In contrast, the Eezham Tamil refugees in India disintegrated in the camps. For over quarter a century they are living under suspicious eyes. Only one organization trusted by the Indian Establishment is allowed to work in these camps. And, now, there are proposals to send them back to end up in the internment camps run by Colombo.

The difference is not merely because of the bias of the Indian Establishment in treating Eezham Tamils. It is also because of deficiencies in the social and political organisation of Eezham Tamils.

That is yet another reason why we need a transnational government for the diaspora.

Courtesy :
TamilNet

Formation of Provisional Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam

Mr Selvarasa Pathmanathan, the Head of International Relations for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam while explaining the necessity for a Provisional Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam has issued a media release today announcing the establishment of a working committee under the leadership of legal advisor, Mr Rudrakumar Viswanathan to make all necessary pre-arrangements to form such a Government.

English


Tamil



S. Pathmanathan, Head of LTTE's International Diplomatic Relations“The struggle of the people of Tamil Eelam, for their right to self rule has reached a new stage. It is time now for us to move forward with our political vision towards our freedom, bearing in mind the practical realities in our homeland. Understanding the need for a common work plan based on a unified policy, we had called upon our people for their advice and opinions. Incorporating the advice provided by our people and the advice of our sectoral experts, we have deemed as necessary the formation of a Provisional Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam to take forward the next phase of the struggle. To make all necessary pre-arrangements to form such a Government, a working committee has been established under the leadership of our legal advisor, Mr Rudrakumar Viswanathan. We call on all Tamil people and Tamil organisations to provide this committee their whole hearted support and assistance”. Mr Selvarasa Pathmanathan, the Head of International Relations for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam has stated in a media release today.

Mr Pathmanthan has further stated that, “the political aspirations of the people of Tamil Eelam were built on the foundations of a Tamil Nation, Homeland, and the right to self rule. These were expressed explicitly through the Vaddukoddai resolution of 1976, during the negotiations at Thimpu in 1985 and in the proposal for an Interim Self Governing Authority in 2003. These aspirations should be kept alive, nurtured and strengthened.

At the same time, in our homeland where our people are subjected to a life under Sri Lanka’s military domination, it is not practical for these people to vocally express their political aspirations freely. The need for us to function understanding this pragmatic reality is imperative. Under these circumstances the Tamil Nation should implement two parallel operations to achieve a common vision under a common agreement.

“The Provisional Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam to be established shall operate representing the political aspirations and being the voice and conscience of the people of Tamil Eelam in the international arena. At the same time, the operational plan implemented in our homeland, the under the leadership of the Tamil National Alliance that represents the political aspirations of the people of Tamil Eelam, shall bear in mind the existential circumstances on the ground. There shall be a link between the two operational plans.

“The established working committee which is to function within democratic principles shall espouse the details of its operational plans to the people and maintain an active link with the people to capture the opinions and aspirations of our people. In order for this working committee to achieve its goals in whole I call on all Tamil People to work in unity” Mr Pathmanathan further stated in the media release.

Courtsey :
TamilEelamOnline

Moving forward- Making our mark!

Miss B's thoughts
originally posted 09/06/09
edited 10/06/09....


Dear all

I have taken some time to write my thoughts, ideas for moving forward for the plight of Tamils. I have met many people over this year. We all have ideas but we need to implement them. No longer sitting back and watch the older generation work it out. Please pass this onto those relevant.


NEXT STEP:

So Sri lanka thinks they have won... yes they defeated the LTTE, but the problem has not been resolved. The problem of discrimination and 2nd class citizenship of tamils still exists! Ethnic cleansing is now in full effect, the next phase in extreme, by rajapakse's military control over the north. As you know another 100k soldiers will be placed up north. Only to colonise our areas with there camps and possible Buddhist temples.

There have been many leaders before VP. TULF did their thing then passed the baton onto LTTE, and now it lies in the hands of the diaspora. Are you going to drop it, or reach the finish line? Build up our nation and then pass it onto the 2nd/3rd /4thgeneration.

To the Pro LTTE SUPPORTERS :Many Tamils have lost motivation and feel a sense of defeat as they believe VP is dead. The focus should not be on wondering if VP is dead or alive. They have done their best, you can agree or disagree with their methods. But they built a defacto state, where tamil kingdom was running with great courts, economy;people were making money.A defacto state which had no corruption. So now politically we have to achieve our freedom. Do not let thoughts of violence enter you mind as hard as it is to deal with the massacre sri lanka have orchestrated. I believe in karma and universal law. Those who did wrong will be punished. The focus is the humanitarian crisis, ethnic cleansing, state terror on tamils

VP dedicated 40 years of his life to the struggle . Those who supported him will get a chance to celebrate his life soon.

But leaders die and new leaders are born. This does not mean leaders of a new militant group. We the diaspora have succeeded all over the world, we are intelligent, resourceful, multilingual, mathematical, scientific, intellectuals, hustlers, entrepreneurs, individuals. NO ONE HAS SWAGGER LIKE US. As vadivelu would say "WE ARE TOP DA" !!!

We have the advantage that the sri lankan citizens do not have. Lets unite nationally then globally to build a great campaign politically to highlight the plight and finally get a resolution.

Rajapakse the hardliner in power , and corruption at its peak is ruling sri lanka. Tamil citizens in the south had to pay 300 rupees to be part of the party to celebrate the vicotry, and forced to hold the flag. Moderate tamils are being targetted by thugs all part of the plan to get rid of tamils and make them live like 2nd class citizens.

Political is the next step, we have to build up our campaign against sri lanka.



DIVIDE AND CONQUER

Those who understand politics, we know its a dirty game, do not be put off by this. Know that the world leaders all work towards their own political gain. But its up to us who vote these people into power. As a collective we can overrun these people.

Divide and conquer is a classic way of dividing up a group, culture ethnicity; by turning its own people onto each other.
The sri lankan government has orchestrated this many times, hence the people call those Tamils.... traitors.

We now have to forget our internal differences, I do not care if you are pro LTTE, ANTI LTTE, EROS, EPRLF, EPDP,TELO,PLOTE or NWA OR EVEN RSPCA OR TLC. call yourself what you will. But you are an eelam tamil, an oppressed eelam tamil!!!

Forget your differences with tamils, who went out with who, who nearly got arranged married to who, what town or village you are from. I never fitted in with tamil people. I do not need to, I fit in with my family!! I never got along with many tamils as I had more of an open minded individual mindset . In some cases I still do not fit in with the collective . But I have a responsibility for my homeland , the very reason my father and mother advised me that i have something to stand for in this country. My identity is Tamil.

THE FOCUS : WHAT WE CANNOT FORGET IS GENOCIDE, SYSTEMATIC GENOCIDE, STATE TERROR. TAMILS FOCUS ON BEING ANTI GOVERNMENT AND STATE TERROR. . We cannot afford to form many tamil groups or work against each other. As there are many sinhalese poltical groups but one ANTI TAMIL GROUP. United we stand divided we fall. The government will try to split the diaspora. But it cannot we are united more than ever. I am not encouraging anti sinhala mentality. Far from it. I have grown up with sinhalese families. My famiy dating way back before independence have socialised with sinhala family and friends. I am talking as a race we have been affected by systematic genocide by the state. So lets empower ourselves as a race and also build dialogue with sinhalese brethrens. I cannot fight with a sinhalese in the south who has been brainwashed by the state; for they do not know. There have been deaths on both sides, but more on the tamil side. Lets reduce this.


LIKE ALL RACES WE HAVE OUR FAULTS. OUR EGO!!!! We are individuals who all think we know better and know more than each other.

LTTE :some people say it did so well because it was a dictatorship. VP made all the decisions as he did try and let other groups make decisions , but all ended up arguing or nothing being implemented.Or some just slept with the government. Therefore he remained the dictator and stuck to the cause and the focus.Some may agree with his methods , some disagree. Overall he brought the tamil problem to the negotiation table. So now we have to learn from all mistakes and strategically analyse what has worked and what has failed. One major thing we have to work on is our pr, marketing.... our image from head to toe internally and externally. Communication has to to improve. Listening to each other has to be worked on

No longer do I hear about tamil gang fights, this has stopped as now these boys/girls are more focused on the very reason why their families left sri lanka ... for a better life in the western world. The western world, which has given us plentiful of choices and opportunities. Which people may have taken for granted. Utilise this to give back.

We have to hire a pr company for the plight of tamils. BOYCOTTING SRI LANKA SHOULD BE AN IMPACTING CAMPAIGN- GLOBAL ATTACK.

EELAM: Eelam to me our original homeland. Eelam has never been about a land just for tamils and sri lanka just for sinhalese. Eelam can be envisioned as Tamils having more power and govern their own. Self determination for Tamils. Investment in agriculture in the North and East. We do not want the south. Sinhalese can live up north but it will be governed by Tamils. MAINLY WE WANT THE ARMY OUT OF OUR HOMELAND. LET OUR PEOPLE LIVE IN FREEDOM. LETS LIVE SIDE BY SIDE, THERE WILL BE PEACE. If the state intends to oppress us with military control up in the North, how does one ever reconcile any tensions between the ethnicities.


FUTURE LEADERS/POLITICS

There are plentiful of tamil schools, we have to respect tamil culture which is getting wiped away in sri lanka. We have to maintain this in our politics. So learning to speak tamil , respecting the culture is a priority. Implementing western ideology to ancient culture never works, and brings the evilness of the west to the purity of our dying culture in sri lanka.

But tamil schools now have to implement subjects of politics in them to encourage the youth. Parents cannot force or expect their children to be doctors, engineers,accountants. Allow them to dream big. Then you allow your kids to dream big. But education does come first!!!

I myself listen to the news all the time. As every news from politician expenses to nuclear weapons in north Korea effects us all. This will help educate and broaden knowledge of how the world is working. There is nothing wrong with learning. Builds the mind. The number of Tamil intellectuals will rise.

We need to empower ourselves and build future leaders. I want to see Eelam tamils in football ...UK, EUROPEAN & INTERNATIONAL football... the next tamil David Beckham, Rooney or Pele.

• Next TV/ film directors.



• Next tamil actor in Hollywood, musicians mainstream.



• Next tamil politician Tamil priminister.



• .... Tamil Comedian( I may go for that ;))

Leaders can be bred, encouraged praised from our generation to get justice for our people.

We all need to contribute monthly payment like tax to the cause. So we can employ people to work full time for us the eelam tamils.

Please guys lets unite and work together to go forward. This a critical situation in sri lanka. But the best opportunity to bring something positive. Sri Lanka already looks like the shit it is in the international community. We can engineer to build a better sri lanka with equal rights to all ethnicities in sri lanka.

RISE UP PEOPLE. Its no longer about raising money for charity.Continue the charity fundraising, but get political to make the world a better place. Right now we have some evil charcters in power. Only we as people can make change

I want to see international conferences , where eelam tamils displaced all over the world congregate to celebrate each others achievements. Whether they are in america, canada, australia, south africa, Singapore, India, Middle East. Lets unite under one UMBRELLA ELLA ELLA EH EH EH like rihanna...lol

BLESS UP.

PEACE AND LOVE
I look forward to hearing your responses.


UNITED WE STAND DIVIDED WE FALL


UNITED..REMAIN UNITED. THE GOAL IS FREEDOM

courtesy :
Miss b Dass
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=83411124628&topic=27184#/note.php?note_id=89476638183

Time for Tamils to Transcend and Transform

originally posted 25/05/09
edited 10/06/09....

by Arvalan

“Opportunity often comes in disguised in the form of misfortune, or temporary defeat.” - Napoleon Hill

The armed liberation struggled waged by the Tamils have come to a “bitter end”. The defeat at the hands of the Sinhalese regime has shaken the Tamil community all over the world. Tamils all over world, irrespective of their political affiliations, feel the pain of defeat and their pride has been hurt. However this is not the time to mourn the defeat and acknowledge “condolence messages” from the international community.

-It is time for the Tamils to reignite their struggle for freedom with more vigour and commitment.

-It is time for the Tamils to learn from the mistakes of the past and march forward towards their dream homeland.

-It is time for the Tamils to mobilise their global resources to launch a diplomatic & economic offensives against the Sri Lanka

-It is time for the Tamils to avenge Sinhala Buddhist regime which has humiliated us in defeat in the courts of justice

-It is time for the Tamils to act, act immediately and act wisely

The Tamil struggle was initiated and lead by the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) in the late seventies until the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) became the sole representatives in late Eighties. The LTTE negotiated with the Indian & Sri Lankan governments from the late eighties for the next 20 years. The 30-year-old struggle has resulted in Tamils losing many of their political leaders who are astute, articulate, committed, diplomatic, knowledgeable and visionary. Further during the Eelam War IV LTTE not only lost their military leaders but unfortunately and tragically lost many of their front line political wing leaders in, Balasingham, Tamilselvan, Nadesan and Pulidevan

It is time for a new band of leadership to take the struggle forward. I believe this new leadership should originate from the Diaspora, which has been blessed with individuals who are experts in politics, diplomacy and international relations. We need these media savvy and committed individuals to come forward to lead the struggle for liberation from a diplomatic and political front.

I believe the umbrella organisations in Canada (such as Canadian Tamil Congress), Europe (such as British Tamil Forum) , USA (such as PEARL), Australia (such as Australian Federation of Tamil Associations) and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in Sri Lanka need to come together to form a global body for the Tamils. This new global body for the Tamils could be called Tamil National Congress (TNC) and should be structured along the lines of a Tamil government in exile. TNC should be entrusted with the task of lobbying the international community and negotiating with the Sri Lankan government.

The guiding principles for the TNC will be the Thimpu principles, which are

· Recognition of the Tamils of Ceylon as a nation

· Recognition of the existence of an identified homeland for the Tamils of Ceylon

· Recognition of the right of self determination of the Tamil nation

The TNC should lobby the International community, particularly India, US & EU to endorse the Thimpu principles. The TNC need to embark on “classical lobbying” in their respective countries which is vastly different from the lobbying carried out in the past. I believe some of the lobbying techniques used in US by PEARL and Tamils for Obama will be good examples of effective lobbying methods.

It is also equally important the legal experts of the TNC should actively pursue the Sri Lankan leaders in war crime tribunals. TNC will need to bring the cream of the Tamil legal minds to prosecute the Sinhala leadership in the courts of international justice for crimes against humanity.

Whilst pursuing the diplomatic & legal offensives against the Sri Lankan government, TNC should also take the lead role in alleviating the sufferings of the Internally Displaced People (IDP’s). IC should be successfully persuaded by the TNC to allow it to run the rehabilitation and resettlement efforts in North and East of Sri Lanka. This will amount to a pseudo interim administration.

In the event of TNC not seeking a lead role the rehabilitation and resettlement efforts will be managed by Karuna and Douglas, catering for the interests of the Sri Lankan government. The danger in allowing Karuna and Douglas to manage the resettlement program is it will result in Sinhala colonisation of North and East and the aid fund being diverted to South (as evidenced with Tsunami reconstruction).

Therefore it is vital for the TNC to pursue a short-term strategy to address the immediate problems of our people whilst pursuing the long-term political solution to our conflict. TNC will be launching offensives in three major fronts, political, legal and economical, which are the hallmarks of a government in exile.

I believe there will be resistance from some quarters for any moves to form a new organisation. However the concept of TNC is not about compromising the LTTE. At this critical juncture in our history Tamils need global leadership, which LTTE is unable to provide at present (they have done so effectively in the past). TNC is all about proving that leadership and exploiting the support we have harvested in the international arena with our demonstrations, rallies and lobbying.

As symbolic step for the formation of the TNC, mass gatherings should be organised in Sydney, Chennai, Geneva, London and Toronto on the same day. Tamils should participate in these rallies in mass numbers wearing the traditional dress. Participants should avoid carrying Tiger flags (even though they call it Tamil national flags) as the international media will portray any rallies with the tiger flags as Pro LTTE rally and in that process we are losing the plot in getting the message across to the wider community. The purpose of these mass gatherings are to announce to the world that

-We are proud to be Tamils & We are united

-Tamil Eelam is our homeland and we want it to be liberated.

-Declare the President of Sri Lanka as a War Criminal

The end of the military phase of the Eelam war IV has opened many doors in the international community. It is critical we exploit these opportunities and contacts for our benefit to achieve a permanent solution for our legitimate grievances. If we miss this opportunity the future generations will continue to suffer in our homeland and overseas.

We are not done yet!

An Eelam government in exile to be formed

originally posted on 21/04/09
edited on 08/06/09....

As Sinhala armed forces occupies most of the Eelam land, it's Tamil diaspora's duty to do every thing possible to free Tamil Eelam & her people. In order to achieve that I suggest we should form an Eelam government-in-exile which becomes party to and accepts international norms & practices. So that it will make it easier for a country or even countries to recognise our country when we free it from Sinhala occupation.

A government in exile is a political group(s) that claims to be a country's legitimate government, but for various reasons is unable to exercise its legal power, and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile usually operate under the assumption that they will one day return to their native country and regain power.

Governments in exile frequently occur during wartime occupation. For example, during the German expansion of the Second World War, numerous European governments and monarchs were forced to seek refuge in the United Kingdom rather than face certain destruction at the hands of the Nazis.

Actions of governments in exile

International law recognizes that governments in exile may undertake many types of actions in the conduct of their daily affairs. These actions include:

• becoming a party to a bilateral or international treaty


• amending or revising its own constitution


• retaining (or "newly obtaining") diplomatic recognition by sovereign states


• issuing identity cards


• allowing the formation of new political parties


• instituting democratic reforms


• holding elections


• allowing for direct (or more broadly-based) elections of its government officers, etc.
  

By definition, a government in exile is spoken of in terms of its native country, hence it must return to its native country and regain power there in order to obtain legitimacy as the legal government of that geographic area.

Historic task awaits all freedom fighters

The Eezham Tamil nation doesn’t need words to explain the current situation because everybody feels it in the core of their heart. This is a situation that warrants no one else but only the members of the nation to rise up to the occasion. Unprecedented catastrophe awaits unprecedented response from the nation.


TamilNet Editorial Board
It is time for all Eezham Tamil freedom fighters to realise that there is no credible alternative other than taking up the matter directly to the people concerned for a mandate to reaffirm the political fundamentals and to direct the course of action.

Incumbency, elitism and adventurism are no answers to the gravity of the situation that needs handling with legitimacy not only the genocidal regime of Colombo but also an entire world.

It is heartening to see moves being discussed towards the formation of a global structure for Eezham Tamils, but how to evolve it mass orientated, how to make it responsible to the people and what is the relationship of this body to the already existing infrastructure are the questions.

All freedom fighters with a record of service to the Eezham Tamil nation have a historic responsibility in this regard to come forward united in forging a neutral interim body with full commitment to execute conducting a mandate among Eezham Tamils in forming a government, even if it is going to be bereft of territory at the moment.

Fortunately the Eezham Tamil nation’s resources and organizational infrastructure are intact in the diaspora. But these have to be immediately transformed with unity and consensus into backing the formulation of the much-needed political structure. Any failure will only see the hijacking of the cause by the same forces that crushed Tamil nationalism militarily.

Some feedbacks to our earlier columns questioned the legitimacy of the diaspora in forming a government and hinted that the future politics of Eezham Tamils will surge up from the conditions of the internment camps.

While not denying the fact that the nature of politics is going to be determined by the ground realities of oppression in the homeland, a parallel political stream in the diaspora is not a liability but contributory to the Tamil nationalist cause. The diaspora on one hand cannot be idling at a historic responsibility in meeting the demands of the homeland and on the other hand has to look after its own needs of identity, self-respect and emotional integrity as well.

No one should forget that the diaspora, especially of those who migrated after the 1972 constitution have a say on Tamil Eelam, as the Eezham Tamils have not accepted the Sri Lankan state and have become the diaspora largely as a consequence to it.

Many readers may wonder why TamilNet doesn’t cover ongoing factional news and debate on Tamil politics. A media is expected to do that, but as an alternative media committed to a cause TamilNet wishes to refrain from contributing to confusion.

It is our earnest hope that an environment will be created soon, conducive for all freedom loving people of the nation to participate in unison in upholding the struggle.

It may be the worst of times but it is also the best of times for Phoenix-like regeneration.

courtesy :
TamilNet

An Appeal to the Thamil diaspora

by Fr. Jegath Gaspar Raj

To the Tamil Diaspora,

It’s an extremely urgent appeal. After prosecuting a murderously brutal and inhuman war the Govt. of Lanka is currently wiping all evidences that would lead to genocide and war crimes trial. The next thing it will do is to confuse, divide and neutralize the ‘emotionally converged’ Tamil diaspora. If the emotionally converged diaspora is quickly stabilized and efficiently coordinated as a political community then advancement of the Tamil cause will see meaningful rapid progress.

In the immediate next phase the Government of SriLanka will unleash a hidden war, more treacherous than the one it let loose in Mullaitivu, to break the unity and political consolidation of the diaspora.

I am sure the diaspora has the moral capacities to withstand a dirty political war by the SriLankan Government. But what can shatter the hopes of a dignified political solution will be the unraveling of LTTE. Let’s concede that the massive military debacle would certainly have created serious gaps in LTTE’s command structure. I get a disturbing feeling that there is already an unseen power struggle among certain sections of the LTTE for the control of the organization and its vast resources. We can expect that intelligence agencies of various countries will welcome this development and do everything to hasten these divisions.

The enlightened ones among the expatriate community should come together with a tremendous sense of responsibility first to ensure that the organization does not unravel due to internal divisions, secondly to work vigorously to lift the ban imposed on it by several countries and then go on to build democratic people’s power of the diaspora around it. Such a development would keep moral and political pressure on Western countries to press for a meaningful political solution to our people. Further it will also ignite a broader Tamil renaissance. May the memory of the sacrifices our people endured guide us in this mission.

Kindly pass this message to the Tamils whom you consider as mature, responsible and reasonably selfless.

It is now when we walk in the valley of darkness, through the agonies, anxieties and uncertainties, we have re-discovered the bonds that unite us intensely as Tamils. We shall persevere. We shall prevail.

Thank you.

Yours cordially,

Fr. Jegath Gaspar Raj.

Courtesy:
TamilCanadian - May 28, 2009