Dr. Manmohan Singh, Your Statement in Lok Sabha-Inclination to Vote for the US Motion at the UNHRC
Posted on March 22nd, 2012
Mahinda Gunasekera Canada
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Dr. Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister of India
New Delhi, India
Dear Prime Minister,
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Your Statement in Lok Sabha-Inclination to Vote for the US Motion at the UNHRC
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I refer to your statement made in the Lok Sabha on March 20, 2012, about the Indian GovernmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s inclination to vote in favour of the US Motion at the UNHRC which aims to allow the international community to intervene in Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s domestic process of healing the conflict and reconciling the constituent communities within the island.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ You had also intimated that you hoped that such a move would help to advance your objective of achieving a future for the Tamil community in Sri Lanka that is marked by equality, dignity, justice and self-respect.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Perhaps, you are not aware that Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s National Constitution guarantees equal rights to all her citizens notwithstanding ethnicity, gender, caste, religion, or other background characteristic whatsoever, and furthermore, has taken steps to progressively enhance the language rights of the Tamil minority, today numbering less than 8.5 percent following the emigration of nearly 1.2 million in search of greener pastures to western lands, and making Tamil Language an official language on par with Sinhala spoken by 78 percent of the population.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ You may be aware that Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s National Flag designed at the time of gaining independence from the British colonial power in 1948 carries an yellow coloured stripe to recognize the Tamil minority who are mainly Hindus , and a green coloured stripe to give recognition to the Muslim minority.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Tamil script appears on all official documents including currency, and postage stamps.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Tamil community is today the majority group in the capital city of Colombo comprising 41 percent, and they continue to thrive economically in the new era of peace following the elimination of Tamil Tiger terrorism as of May 2009 accounting for 40 percent of Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s list ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ published billionaires.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Tamil community in Sri Lanka identifies themselves strictly by caste, and by groups such as Jaffna, Batticaloa and Plantation sector Tamils, the latter being those indentured South Indian labourers brought in by the British colonial power for work on the new coffee and tea plantations, with very little interaction amongst themselves.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Even today, the lower caste Tamils are discriminated by the higher castes, and the former were only able to gain access to the Hindu Kovils for religious observances only as a result of state intervention via legislation.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Although Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s National Constitution guarantees equal rights under the Fundamental Rights Chapter, the treatment of Tamils by Tamils leaves a gap in respect of equality, dignity, justice and self-respect.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Need we remind you that Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s ethnic divide was exacerbated as a result of IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s action to arm, train, and fund the Tamil militant groups including the Tamil Tigers in order to destabilize the island nation and seek to annex the territory at future date, for which no Sri Lankan would be willing to forgive our giant neighbour whom we always considered as our friend and mentor with ties dating to over 2500 years.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Your statement which seeks only the welfare of the Tamils leaves room to suspect your motives in joining with the US, the worldƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s worst HR violator of all time to once again intervene in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ This not only goes against the existing norms of international understanding but is also a cardinal principle of the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Pancha Seela PactƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of Bandung to which Sri Lanka and India are signatories.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ If you think that India has a special responsibility to safeguard only the rights of the Tamils, you should then invite them to come and settle in India under your protection, and see how many Tamils would accept your offer.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Also, if you expect Sri Lanka to implement her part of the Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987 when India failed to honour her part of disarming the militant Tamils within a space of 72 hours, you have another think coming, as Sri Lanka is not obliged to honour an agreement imposed under coercion of military threat against Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ As the people of Sri Lanka have not been consulted on the matter, it is obligatory on Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s part to firstly seek the wishes of the people at a National Referendum as to the withdrawal of the 13th Amendment from the Statute Book or obtain their consent for its implementation.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ My advice to you on your ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”InclinationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ is not to act on it, as Sri Lanka ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” India relations may spiral downwards on this incline making it extremely difficult to re-establish the
friendly ties that existed between our two countries.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Yours sincerely,
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Mahinda Gunasekera
Tambrook Drive
Agincourt, Ontario
Canada M1W 3L9
March 22, 2012