“UN High Commissioner Pillay begins her week-long visit to Sri Lanka on August 25, 2013”
Other recommendations by the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) are:
1) Meet those surrendered to Security Forces, like a group led by Rev. Father Francis Joseph and Ehilian.
2) Secure the release of Tamil Nadu (India) Fishermen imprisoned in Sri Lanka.
3) Meet some of the 90,000 Eelam Tamil War Widows and their daughters, who face abuses by Sri Lankan Security Forces.
4) Station UN Human Rights Monitors in Tamil areas & Send International trial observers to observe the trials of Tamil political prisoners.
In a letter to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms. Navanethem Pillay, the Prime Minister of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE), Mr. Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran urged her to visit Sri Lanka mass killing site in “Mullivaikal” to check for possible Chemical weapons use and mass graves.
The letter also urged her to take steps to station UN human rights monitors in Tamil areas and to protect 90,000 Tamil war widows and their daughters from sexual abuse by the Sri Lankan Security forces and to secure the release of Tamil Nadu (India) fishermen imprisoned in Sri Lanka.
High Commissioner Pillay begins her week-long visit to Sri Lanka on August 25, 2013.
“Your trip comes four years after the mass killing of Eelam Tamils by the Sri Lankan Government that left the Eelam Tamil community extremely vulnerable to numerous abuses by the Sri Lankan Security Forces” said Rudrakumatran in the letter.
“As the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, you have enormous leverage and stature to protect human rights of Eelam Tamils living in the island of Sri Lanka” he continued.
The recommendations for UN High Commissioner Pillay are:
1) MEET THOSE SURRENDERED TO SECURITY FORCES: We urge you to meet those surrendered to Sri Lankan Security Forces in May 2009, like a group led by Rev. Father Francis Joseph and Ehilian. Several witnesses saw Fr. Joseph and others surrendering to the Sri Lankan Security Forces. For the last four years no one has been allowed to meet them. We urge you to use your stature as the UN Human Rights Chief to meet those who surrendered.
2) STATION UN HUMAN RIGHTS MONITORS IN TAMIL AREAS: Numerous human rights abuses, including abductions, disappearances, torture, executions and rape are continuing against Eelam Tamil civilians by the Sri Lankan Security Forces in the North East of the Island. It is believed that the ratio of Security Forces to civilians in Tamil areas is the highest in the world (about one soldier to every five civilians). One of the ways to protect Eelam Tamil civilians is to open UN Human Rights offices in the North-East of the island and to station UN human rights monitors there.
3) PLIGHT OF 90,000 TAMIL WAR WIDOWS & THEIR DAUGHTERS: We urge you to meet some of the 90,000 Eelam Tamil War Widows and their daughters to discuss their plight and to station UN women human rights monitors for their protection. Such consistent monitoring is the only way these vulnerable widows and their daughters can be protected from being abused by the Sri Lankan Security Forces. As the former US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton pointed out that Sri Lanka is one of the countries besides Bosnia, Burma and elsewhere, rape was used as a tactic of war. Thus we urge your office to formulate action plan to allow the Tamil women to live with security and dignity.
4) SEND INTERNATIONAL TRIAL OBSERVERS: We urge you to get the full accounting of those currently detained by the Sri Lankan Government and to ensure that these detainees have full access to their family members and Attorneys. Please get a commitment from the Sri Lankan Government that International trial observers will be allowed to observe the trials of these cases, if any are actually undertaken.
5) CHECK FOR CHEMICAL WEAPONS USE & MASS GRAVES: We urge you to visit the mass killing site “Mullivaikal”, the area where tens of thousands of Eelam Tamil civilians were killed in May 2009 by the Sri Lankan Security Forces. Please take technical experts to get samples of the soil and water in that area to check whether Chemical weapons were used in killing these civilians. Also, take experts to check for Mass graves in this area. There have been consistent reports from numerous individuals that Chemical weapons were used along with shelling, bombing and shooting and that thousands were buried in mass graves in the area.
6) SECURE THE RELEASE OF TAMIL NADU (INDIA) FISHERMEN IMPRISONED IN SRI LANKA: We urge you to secure the release of Tamil Nadu (India), fishermen imprisoned in Sri Lanka and to stop Sri Lankan Naval attacks and abuse on Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy.
Contact: pmo@tgte.org
ABOUT TRANSNATIONAL GOVERNMENT OF TAMIL EELAM (TGTE):
Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) is a new political concept, formed after the mass killing of Tamils in the final months of the war.
It is a 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.
Contact: pmo@tgte.org
Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran
Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE)
+(33) 651-0553-00
