In 2024, Sri Lanka is expected to deliver on its promises to the UNHRC. Based on the above, it is amply clear that Sri Lanka intends to renege once again. Therefore, the treacherous initiative by a few individuals from GTF and its colluders is a despicable attempt to shield Sri Lanka from the international community and UNHRC scrutiny under the pretense of negotiating with imposters! This “show” is an attempt to undermine all our efforts to get justice for the genocide committed against the Tamil people, the International Council of Eelam Tamils (ICET) said in a statement.
See the full statement below:
In 2009, at the height of the Tamil Genocide, the Tamil organizations worldwide felt the need to create a global Tamil umbrella organization to represent the Tamil diaspora. Initially, they formed the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) to advance the legitimate and fundamental aspirations of the Tamil people. Within a few years, the GTF was undemocratically hijacked by a few individuals and deviated from the legitimate and fundamental aspirations of the Tamil people. As a result, all but the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) disbanded from the GTF, rendering this organization to stand without the Tamil diaspora’s backing at the grassroots level. To this date, both the GTF and CTC have refused to advocate for the genocide committed or the legitimate and fundamental aspirations of the Tamil people, thus abandoning the Tamil people they claim to represent.
Later, most of those Tamil diaspora organizations from 14 countries that left GTF formed the International Council of Eelam Tamils (ICET), which continuously advocates for the legitimate aspirations of Tamil people. Since 2011, the ICET has grown globally, and the constituent country organizations have been working towards justice for the genocide committed against the Tamil people by Sri Lanka and for a long-lasting political solution based on the Tamil people’s right to self-determination in the traditional and historical homeland of Tamil people.
Meanwhile, the situation of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka has worsened, making it an open prison in their homeland with no fundamental rights. The draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act, which has been asked to be repealed by the UNHRC, is being used by the Sri Lankan state to harass and incarcerate Tamil people who are remembering their sons, daughters, and relatives who lost their lives in the freedom struggle. The Archaeological Department is destroying other religious sites and supplanting those sacred sites with Buddhist relics to claim those sites to build Buddhist temples. The current President of Sri Lanka has promised to build 1000 Buddhist temples in the Tamil homeland, where no Buddhists live.
Sri Lanka has a long-documented history of abrogating pacts made with Tamil leaders during the past seven decades. The UNHRC has passed many resolutions to deliver justice to the Tamil people. However, there has been no tangible progress from the Sri Lankan government thus far in any of the recommendations from the resolutions. It should be reiterated that Sri Lanka has violated all 30 articles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights against Tamil people with impunity. Successive leadership, including the current one in Sri Lanka, came to power vowing to protect every Sinhala soldier responsible for crimes committed against Tamil people. Therefore, no one can expect Sri Lanka to pursue any form of genuine justice for the genocide committed against the Tamil people nor deliver a permanent political solution that fulfills the legitimate aspirations of the Tamil people.
In 2024, Sri Lanka is expected to deliver on its promises to the UNHRC. Based on the above, it is amply clear that Sri Lanka intends to renege once again. Therefore, the treacherous initiative by a few individuals from GTF and its colluders is a despicable attempt to shield Sri Lanka from the international community and UNHRC scrutiny under the pretense of negotiating with imposters! This “show” is an attempt to undermine all our efforts to get justice for the genocide committed against the Tamil people.
We call upon the international community to disregard these deceptive attempts. A half-baked solution would further deteriorate the protection of the Tamil Nation. The international community should deliver remedial justice for the genocide committed against the Tamil people and help find a long-lasting political solution based on the recognition of the Tamil People’s right to self-determination.
