“The war constitutes genocidal connotations” - Sampanthan

(September 11, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) R.Sampanthan, TNA Parliamentary Group Leader charged the Sri Lankan government that the present unprecedented war constitutes genocidal connotations.

He was addressing the Parliament during the debate on the extension of emergency.
Following is the text of his speech:

The Sri Lankan Government is concerned about the sovereignty but it little realizes that human rights is an intrinsic part of a country’s sovereignty. There are human rights violations in Sri Lanka and particularly against Tamil people.

We don’t want the Sinhala people to be denied of their rights. But, the rights of the Tamils also must be recognized. Tamil people will not submit to Sinhala nationalism. There are military operations in an unprecedented manner in the country today. Following air attacks shell attacks etc more than 200, 000 people are displaced in Vanni. In some cases, they have been displaced more than once.

The attacks that are made in violation of all international charters and according to a political agenda affect the innocent civilians very badly. The country has declared a war on its own citizens. The present military operations constitute genocidal connotations. The government functions according to a Sinhala agenda.

The democratic rights of the Tamils have been denied by the Lankan government for several decades. Its failure to arrive at a solution to meet the legitimate aspirations of the people is the cause for the crisis. Unable to find a political solution, the government is engaged in a military approach. - Sri Lanka Guardian