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Analysis MAKE YOUR VOICE FOR PEACE By Dr. K. K. Nava, Australia
Make it Loud and Clear I greet all lovers of freedom and peace, whoever and wherever you are in this universe. I send greetings on behalf of the oppressed (Tamil) people of my country to all our friends throughout the world. I am happy to think that there are several thousands, may be a million, Tamils all over the world who are concerned with the unhappy plight of the Tamils in Sri Lanka. I speak to you at a time when there is much reason for sadness in our home (mother) land. But also at a time when there is reason for rising hope and renewed courage among Tamils for peace. On the one hand we have the tragic spectacle of the majority Sinhalese government armed to the hilt to crush the legitimate aspirations of our people; on the other we have the heartening sight of an overwhelming majority, of the civilized world, maintaining a silence which condemns the tyranny under which Sri Lanka groans. The forces of oppression and racial discrimination that have pressed heavily upon our people for so long are increasing in their viciousness, in their ruthless disregard for human values, in the ferocity of their attacks on the innocent and reasonable people. Tamils are prepared to work out in calmness a just settlement of the conflicts. And, in spite of the increasing burden of oppression, it cheers me to know that the people as a whole continue to struggle for justice with fortitude and unabated patience. Expose the Terrible Destructive Forces It is necessary to calculate the terrible destructive forces, which are being built up in our land. They can be measured in the flood of repressive laws, erosion of human rights and human dignity, which pour out from the legislative machine in the form of banishment, confinements, house arrests, gagging and persecution. They can be measured in the wholesale removal of people who have been ruthlessly torn from homes they built at great sacrifice from meager earnings. The unceasing treadmill of persecutions, mainly under the specially designed laws, which prevent from establishing their right to be in the land of their birth. It is also obvious in job reservation, attacks on the press and lack of freedom of speech. Finally, it can be seen in the ruthless carving up of our homeland into racial kraals for Sinhalese and Tamils. on sale used car in canada auto site advt Most terrible of all, however is the coming tide of destruction in terms of the massive build-up of military power against an unarmed people whose sole crime is their demand for the most elementary forms of human justice – equal rights and self-determination. Is it any wonder that among the Tamil people suffering from intense oppression - deprivation of home and family, of livelihood and of hope, there are some who, goaded beyond human endurance to the point of desperation, see no way out but to engage in desperate forms of reckless violence? Nor is it, humanly speaking, to be wondered at that there are those who are embarking on calculated acts of violence because they have been forced to abandon all hope of reaching a just solution by consultation and negotiation. The government of Sri Lanka, however, has insanely committed itself to rule by the machine gun and armored car. It has elected to go down in a messy welter of blood and destruction rather than work out a clean and honorable solution. Helicopters, paratroopers, armored cars, strafing planes, automatic weapons, the integration of the police force with the Army, Navy and Air Force - the whole ferocious panoply of war is being marshaled - in peace time and with frank avowal that it is not for any outside enemy but to put down the people of the land. This is the pitiful state of my (Tamil) people today. Saddening as this is, there are other features of the situation, which increase our sadness. Those who are providing the Government with these terrifying weapons of destruction are countries, which allegedly care for human freedom. Certainly, some of them have a proud record in the defense of human liberties. Almost all of them have known the travail of war, of conflict against ruthless oppression; have known the bitterness of racial hatred and the wounds of armed conflict. Yet these countries today, and Britain, USA and India foremost among them, are guilty of arming and supporting the savage racial Sri Lankan regime. Ask for Little Remorse Sadly, the vast majority of civilized countries have shown little or no remorse to the plight of the Tamil people. The most spectacular demonstration of this was the not recognizing the legitimate rights of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka. I would remind you that the Tamils are not calling on foreign countries to break off diplomatic relations, or refrain from establishing them; closing their ports to all vessels loaded with the arms; or prohibiting their ships from entering Sri Lankan ports; or boycotting all Sri Lankan goods; or refraining from exporting goods, including arms and ammunition, to Sri Lanka; or refusing landing facilities to Sri Lankan aircraft. Instead, Tamils are only asking from the world to recognize their human rights and exert diplomatic pressure on Sri Lanka to stop the protracted ethnic war and find a peaceful political solution. On behalf of all the oppressed Tamil people and all freedom and peace lovers in Sri Lanka, I wish to make it clear that Tamils welcome the involvement of the international community, including the United Nations, CHOGM, and European Union, most joyfully. They look forward to, and entreat its open call for, negotiated settlement of the Tamil national question, and that they would encourage the most vigorous forms of action to protest against the racial policies and action which have blight them. At the same time I would urge the expatriate Tamils and the citizens in all countries to urge the UN, CHOGM and EU by sending letters in hundred of thousands to ensure the voices of the oppressed people are heard clearly and loudly. Urge them to honor in words as well as action the rights of the Tamil people, and to campaign energetically to their fullest potential. I urge the Tamil media, all private enterprises, expatriates, Tamil Associations, Groups, Organizations, and the people in Sri Lanka to send letter after letter to them to undertake the following:
I must remind you, too, that this appeal will also draw the attention of the world that some member countries indirectly provide encouragement to the Sri Lankan government to perpetuate the war. This is a matter of grave concern to the Tamils in Sri Lanka and they are calling for peaceful demonstration by all of us of our abhorrence, particularly by those of us who are still free to speak and act, and who have not been crippled, as the Tamils in Sri Lanka have been, by the strangling restrictions of a virtual military aggression. I would ask you to unite in demanding that UN, CHOGM and EU honor their own foundation human right principles. I would urge that you and your organization or friends not be deterred from any action or by the excuse - often advanced by our oppressors - that support to the plight of our people in Sri Lankan will be branded as "Tamil Terrorism". We have been victims of false propaganda long before our call to the nations of the world. We are committed to suffering that will lead us to freedom - as it has been the lot of all oppressed people before us from time immemorial. What we are determined not to do, cost what it may, is to acquiesce in a status quo that makes us semi-slaves in our minds. Клиника мрт круглосуточно протвино. Let Your Cry Be I would implore you in particular, to unite in writing, vociferously and unremittingly, against the continuation of the war by the Sri Lankan government. On this issue let your voice be clear and untiring: STOP THE WAR AND HELP FIND PEACE. All letters should go to:
The Rt. Hon. Donald C. McKinnon Tel. 44 171 839 3411
Mr. Kofi A. Annan Secretary General of the United Nations United Nation Plaza, S-378 New York, NY 10017, USA Tel. 212-963-7162 Fax. 212-963-7055 Email: sg@un.org
Mrs. Mary Robinson The High Commissioner for Human Rights OHCHR-UNOG Switzerland Telephone Number (41-22) 917-9000 Email: webadmin.hchr@unog.ch
Mr. Romano Prodi The President European Union General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union Rus De la Loi 175 Tel: (32-2) 2991559 Fax: (32-2) 2958332 Email: romano.prodi@cec.eu.int sg-info@cec.eu.int All Tamils should send their letters now. Delay in sending letters will delay the peace and extend the war. Not sending the letters will help the Sri Lankan government to continue the war until the complete ethnic cleansing. When you contemplate the mass of cruelly repressive legislation; when you observe the horrifying pitiful human suffering and indignity; and when you see the way the Tamil community is blasted by the racially insane government; let your cry be: STOP THE WAR AND HELP FIND PEACE When you visualize the terrible havoc which may be wreaked on our homeland by the most deadly and destructive military weapons known to modern man, let your cry be: STOP THE WAR AND HELP FIND PEACE If you have any doubts, if you think this is a gross and hysterical exaggeration, let me give you a single example of the callous disregard for human life which permeates those who rule Sri Lanka - – the Bindunuwewa Massacre. On 30 March 2001 - the Canadian government representative - MARIE GERVAIS-VIDRICAIRE, head of delegation of Canada, made the following statement on Sri Lanka in the 57th session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. "In Sri Lanka, the conflict continues as the root cause of most serious human rights violations, as well as breaches of international humanitarian law, both by the government and the LTTE. Canada therefore welcomes the efforts undertaken by Norway to facilitate peace talks between the belligerents. We continue to be concerned that, with very few exceptions, members of the security forces who have committed human rights violations continue to benefit from delayed judicial action and perceived impunity. In this regard we find instances, such as the multiple killings of Tamil youth while in the care of government authorities near Bindunuwewa, to be particularly distressing." run about eclat casino gamble gainings constantly The Bindunuwewa massacre is not "an ordinary people action" when about 30 unarmed, defenseless young boys were beaten to death and many wounded! This is "state sponsored terrorism". What are the extraordinary actions for future for which the Government is now frantically preparing? When you contemplate this grim and bloody prospect, surely it is your duty as an individual, and the duty of everyone, to ensure that no such foul assault on human beings should be perpetrated. Surely you must join in the great cry: STOP THE WAR AND HELP FIND PEACE I direct a special appeal to all the Sinhalese people who share with us, not only the common brotherhood of humanity, but who in many instances have shared with us a common suffering and hardship. I appeal to them to make their voices heard and to show their unity with us not only in words but also in actions. To those expatriate Sinhalese I say, make sure that your voice are used to produce a peace, which will lead to safety and protection to all people in Sri Lanka. To those speaking in support of the plight of the Tamil people all around the world, I say: let your opposition be shown, not only in your cry STOP THE WAR AND HELP FIND PEACE, but also in your resolute opposition to lend your tax money to this form of cruel war. Perhaps it is futile to appeal to those who put profits before justice and human lives. Nevertheless, in all sincerity I appeal to them to pause and re-think the sense of values, which puts material values before human lives. By this I mean making their murderous war-wares available to the Sri Lankan government. Hasten the Day of Freedom The time must surely come when the Sri Lankan Government must emerge from the dark night of racial fanaticism to take its place among the free nations of the world. You all - people and governments - can, to your honor, hasten this day. The Sri Lankan government, a racial juggernaut, top heavy with its crushing weight of military might, is crumbling and rotten at the base. Its present show of strength is a facade to hide its hastening decay and doom. The duty of all who find the regime repugnant to mankind is to hasten this day. A regime that flouts from the world opinion cannot last. Such a regime cannot endure when many of its own citizens are resolute and pledged to work for that end even at the cost of unlimited sacrifice. Tamils are steeled by oppression, and the daily sight of human values being ground underfoot only makes them cherish those values even more. The Test is Action To the nations and governments of the world, particularly those directly or indirectly giving aid and encouragement to this contemptible racial regime, I say, cast aside your hypocrisy and deceit. Declare yourself on the side of oppression if that is your secret design. Do not think Tamils will be deceived by your pious protestations as long as you are prepared to condone, assist and actively support the tyranny of our people. The test is your stand on the principle: ‘No More war, But Peace for Sri Lanka’. No expressions of concern, no platitudes about injustice will content Tamils. The test is action - action against oppression. Tamils look forward to the day when they shall be with all the free peoples of the world, brothers, brothers-in-arms against injustice, anywhere, and at any time. However, their immediate task is freeing themselves; a task in which they looks for support from lovers of freedom and peace in the world. All lovers of freedom and peace can help. All can do something to bring peace a reality in Sri Lanka. Whoever you are, whatever you may be, it is possible for you to assist. In your church, in your educational establishment, workplace, or cultural, and sporting organization, it is possible for you to assist in exerting pressure on this political pariah and help lead to its extermination. All may play their part in ending this oppression, and all may - and must - join in the resolute declaration: ‘No More War: Peace For Sri Lanka’.
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