Ten British MP's spoke on Tamil plight during adjournment debate
10 Members of Parliament from all three main political parties representing the people of the United Kingdom, without exception spoke in favour of Tamils, in the allocated 14 minutes during the adjournment debate on Dec 18th secured by the Hon Andrew Pelling MP for Croydon Central.
The fact that many MPs turned up for this debate especially being the final item at the end of parliamentary session before the Christmas recess was itself commended by MPs, British Tamil Community and political observers.
Varied in their concerns MPs highlighted from the abuses of human rights by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL), use of banned cluster bombs by the GoSL, the indiscriminate nature of the aerial bombardment to the genocidal war that has been perpetrated by the GoSL against the Tamil community in Sri Lanka.
Many MPs including the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Hon. Member for Harlow (Bill Rammell) condemned the GoSL and its High Commission here in the UK for its attacks on MPs who raise their genuine concerns against human rights violations and against the genocidal war that has been waged by the GoSL against its own people.
" Anyone who dares give any consideration to the prospects of genocide in Sri Lanka is described as a terrorist” , observed a MP at the UK Parliament
MPs also highlighted how British citizens and organisations have been targeted by the Sri Lankan High Commission here in the UK in falsely accusing them of being aiding and assisting terrorists.
They also suggested that the proscription of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in this country should at least be partially lifted for political and humanitarian work to take place.
A direct comparison was made with how the ban on People’s Mujahedeen was partially lifted for that organisation to conduct political and humanitarian work.
The need for international intervention in some form or other (Commonwealth, UN, EU, Norway, India, The US, Japan and G20 were some of the suggestions) was stressed by many MPs including, Hon Andrew Love (Labour), Hon Simon Hughes (Lib Dem), Hon Jeremy Corbyn (Lab), Hon John McDonnell (Lab), Hon Paul Burstow (Lib Dem), Hon Susan Kramer (Lib Dem), Hon Andrew Dismore (Lab), Hon Andrew Pelling (Independent), Hon Lee Scott (Conservative), Rt. Hon Keith Vaz (Lab) and the Hon Minister Bill Rammell (Lab).
Mr. Scott MP (Conservative – Ilford, North): “In the past few years, Iraq has put on trial its leader, Saddam Hussein, who bombed and killed his own people. Exactly the same thing is being done by the Sri Lankan Government now”
Lobbying by the British Tamil community of the UK political establishment, law makers and civil servants highlighting the plight and suffering of Tamils in Sri Lanka is slowly making progress, it seems.
It is evident and commendable that following the adjournment debate that was secured by Hon Simon Hughes MP in January 2008 soon after the unilateral abrogation from the internationally sponsored Ceasefire Agreement by the Government of Sri Lanka, there have been many such debates including today’s and many questions written and oral both at the Houses of Parliament and the House of Lords and Early Day Motions raised by various Hon Members of Parliament and Noble Lords of cross parties.
(This is a press release by the British Tamils Forum)
8 Comments
Hon Andrew Love (Labour), Hon Simon Hughes (Lib Dem), Hon Jeremy Corbyn (Lab), Hon John McDonnell (Lab), Hon Paul Burstow (Lib Dem), Hon Susan Kramer (Lib Dem), Hon Andrew Dismore (Lab), Hon Andrew Pelling (Independent), Hon Lee Scott (Conservative), Rt. Hon Keith Vaz (Lab) and the Hon Minister Bill Rammell (Lab) are all getting ready for elections and the Tamil disapora vote.
Why the hell don't they ask the Indian Government to sit down and have peace talks with terrorists in India. UK taxpayer still pays for terrorists supporters on asylum in the UK. These MPs can have 101 debates and Early Day Motions but for us Sri lankans who have undergone the terrorism for the past 20/30 years, your talk is what we pass out with our early day motions. The LTTE must lay down their weapons and surrender once this is established then we can begin discussions.
Some of them are genuine but some are crooks not. One thing they all need is Tamil votes. This enthusiasm is not seen among British MPs about DRCongo situation. The reason being the absence of concentrated Congolese vote blocks.
It should be commended the work of BTF, who continuesly manages to sell the same good to many buyers at the same time, i.e promosing the same votes to Labour and LibDim at the same time.
tamils are living in jaffna peacefully and east is comeing around only wanni is in trouble. even when they blamed the bombing of displaced camp or civilian targets only one or two people are killed far better safty record compare to western military. I am ready to travel with any one of these idiots and introduce the tamils they can tell the HR violation of the LTTE.
the way they talk it is obvious they are only concern about the tamils votes otherwise why partial lifting of the ban, either ltte terrorist org or freedom fighters.
It was only last Monday that the Defense Adviser/Attache of United Kingdom along with six other counterparts from USA, Japan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Maldives were taken on a one-day tour to Vanni by the Colombo government. The amount of collusion these govts have with and the military support they provide to GoSL is anybodies guess.
Then we have this interesting adjournment debate on Thursday where all 3 major parties spoke in support of the Tamils. Some even spoke of the need for international intervention in some form or other (Commonwealth, UN, EU, Norway, India, The US, Japan and G20 were some of the suggestions).
While one is mulling over the contradictions in the British policy on Sri Lanka, we learn through the Sataurday editorial of the Boston Globe that the French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has come to understand, that "there is a permanent contradiction between human rights and the foreign policy of a state, even in France.", reinforcing our long-held belief on the double standards of these rich states (who after all committed worse genocide on indigenous people to amass wealth and territory). To expect morality and justice from soulless rich countries is perhaps a misplaced expectation.
No surprise at all then in the recent special report on - Top 10 underreported News of the year - of the Online Time Magazine, which states, that judging by the death toll the Sri Lankan conflict is deadlier than the war in Afghanistan in the year 2008, and ranks it #3. No doubt there is better business to talk about!
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Bill Rammell)
"It is important not to forget that the LTTE is a ruthless terrorist organisation, which is responsible for serious human rights abuses against civilians throughout Sri Lanka.
The LTTE has no democratic mandate to represent the Tamil population. It is reported to recruit civilians, including children, into its ranks forcibly, to extort food and money from an already impoverished people, to abduct and kill Tamil civilians who disagree with its views or methods and to break all norms of international humanitarian law by preventing civilians from leaving conflict areas, effectively holding them as a human shield. The LTTE has conducted a terrorist campaign across the whole of Sri Lanka for nearly three decades, deliberately targeting thousands of individual civilians, as well as assassinating Government figures."
There are people shouting their guts out calling “terrorist” and “terrorism” in SL, that many have actually started to take note and figured out independently what really is the problem there. Anyone who has not yet concluded that there is an ongoing civil rights war from the Tamil perspective and a war for territory from a Sinhalese perspective has some more figuring out left to do. (Remember Kohetha Yanne? Malle Poll !). Then they have to realise that this is one war the minority Tamils will never loose (unless annihilated by genocide; which is the stage the war has reached).
War is by exercise of violence, violence is by unleashing of terror – all for the purpose of gaining political rights enshrined and upheld as fundamental in august assemblies of the world, that have been denied the Tamils. For the Sinhalese this war is for territory by genocide (now gaining world attention by the recent “red alert”) in order to cull the Tamil question once and for all.
Without having a clear definition of terrorism, SL has slowly drifted from armed insurrection to “terrorism” to genocide. We await the world to authoritatively address the contentious yet emotive issues of child soldiers, forced conscription and even terrorism in the context of a genocidal/rights war.
*** Anyone who has not yet concluded that there is an ongoing civil rights war from the Tamil perspective and a war for territory from a Sinhalese perspective has some more figuring out left to do. ***
LOL! What Civil Rights DONT Tamils have?????? Please explain that to me. They have the EXACT SAME rights as Sinhalese, so why all the Communalsit Noise? Why don't you just come out and Speak the truth? Just say you Support the LTTE because you don't want to be a Sri Lankan and live equally with the Sinhalese....after you GG Ponambalam's 50-50 proposal we all know the truth of your Arrogance and contempt for having to live alongside a Sinhala Majority...
That's the Truth, now call me a Liar...
Devinda,
Parrot-like you repeat SL Gunasekera and party's callous claim
"What rights do the Sinhalese enjoy the Tamils don't?" Tamil leaders and writers have answered this over the years. Listen! when the suicide bomb incident took place in Slave Island (close to
TransAsia Hotel)2 days ago a Tamil office worker - in fear - since he was
close to incident - took to his heels. The people around caught him and finding he was a Tamil mauled him mercilessly although they knew he had nothing to do with the bomb. I don't know what happened to him thereafter. Every Tamil in the South lived in fear that day and the following days of retaliation on an issue with which they have little connection. No Sinhalese in the same areas ever feared this eventuality? That is simply one example of the reality today where Tamils in the South are concerned. As to your mischief in bringing the 50/50 story - you know the Sinhala mind was poisoned
through utter false interpretations. When GGP proposed this he meant 50% seats to Sinhalese (I think he had Buddhist Sinhalese in mind) and the balance 50% to the other minorities including
Christians (Are you one?) so that the minorities will be wiped away - as we are now. 50% of seats in Parliament to one group is a lot and none of the other minorities would have enjoyed anything more than 10-15% for their communities. So what is your problem, Sir? I am sorry it is men of your trajectory then - and of course your lot now - who succeed in
blowing this around. The JVP and the JHU refer to this in all their private cell and public meetings. That is because their captive-audiences are usually gullible, ill-educated and know little of the histroy of this trouble land. Sri Lanka will have peace and unity only if this section of the Sinhalese liberate themselves from their prejudices and latent ignorance of issues like 50/50 which, if followed then without resort to communal poltics, would have brought us the peace, unity and prosperity that we denied to ourselves since the early 1950s.
Happy Newyear to you, friend. Look forward to your lively blogs.
ISS