"Obama Wins and Tamils are Hopeful for Their Future"

"Tamils for Obama, a PAC of Tamil Americans, supported the Obama-Biden ticket. The group hopes that the 44th president will change U.S. policy toward Sri Lanka. They hope that the genocidal war by the Sri Lankan government against the Tamil community will be ended and that the Tamils will gain some measure of security and self-government (or a Tamil state)."

(November 06, Washington, Sri Lanka Guardian) Tamils for Obama, a political action committee of American Tamils, has supported the Obama-Biden ticket ever since Obama became the primary winner. Now, they hope that the Obama administration will deliver on their hopes for peace in Sri Lanka and bring security and self-government (or a Tamil state) to the Sri Lankan Tamils.

According to the Tamils for Obama, “The Tamils are a minority population in Sri Lanka, and have been the victims of government oppression ever since Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948. Since 1983, the oppression has taken the form of a genocidal war waged by the majority government against the Tamils.”

Tamils for Obama is comprised of Tamils who have settled in the U.S., or who were born here.

These Tamils hope the 44th president, Mr. Obama, will take a strong hand in resolving the Sri Lankan genocidal war. The Tamils see a similarity between Serbian oppression of the Muslim minority population in Bosnia and their own situation in Sri Lanka. Since the U.S. and NATO intervened to save the Bosnian Muslims, they hope that the U.S. can be persuaded to force the Sri Lankan government to provide some form of autonomy and local self-rule to Tamils.

Tamils for Obama, and other Tamil groups, think that there are many models of minority populations gaining local self-government or their own homeland. They cite (besides Bosnia) Christians in East Timor, French speakers in Quebec, Slovaks, and Scots and Welsh in the U.K. They also name several American statesmen who might be useful mediators in negotiating local autonomy (or creating a Tamil state), including Bill Clinton, Colin Powell, Richard Holbrooke, George Mitchell, James Baker or Jim Leach.

Because Tamils are on the verge of being destroyed in the Sri Lankan genocidal war, Tamils for Obama sees an urgency in changing U.S. policy toward the conflict.

Tamils hope to see certain changes in U.S. policy toward Sri Lanka, which they hope the new administration will make. The first change is appointing a U.S. representative to Sri Lanka who is friendly to both communities. (These Tamils feel that current U.S. representation has been overly friendly to the central government in Colombo.) They also hope that the new representative will put more emphasis on human rights in Sri Lanka rather than only on economic matters. Tamils believe, if peace is achieved, economic activities will grow exponentially.

Some of the Tamils note that the majority government has received money and weapons from Iran and China, both of which are unfriendly to the U.S.

They suggest that if the Tamils gain their own state, they can offer increased stability in the region. An end to war would remove limits to Tamils' development; Tamils' virtues include an ability to work within a globalized economy, general entrepreneurial ability, and the potential for developing titanium, cement and aquaculture industries. These are things that will benefit the U.S. and the world. Add that the Tamil State is in a strategic position, and that it would be friendly toward both India and the U.S., and it becomes clear that the U.S. has good reasons to help the Tamils.

Tamils are speculating about the probable policies of a new Tamil State. Trincomalee (a port city on the northeast coast of Sri Lanka) was Britain's major Indian Ocean naval base when the British ruled Sri Lanka. Some guess that having the U.S. there would stabilize the region, and would benefit the U.S., India, the Tamil state, and even Sri Lanka.

Here we reproduced congratulation letter to President Barack Obarma from a founder of Tamils for Obama, Donald Gnanakone ,

Dear Mr. President,

Noted and best wishes.

I am a Tamil from Sri Lanka who came to America 26 years ago.

We Tamils from Sri Lanka, and organizers of Tamils For Obama raising funds, working with and
supporting the Obama campaign in the primaries, opposing "Tamils For Hilary" in the East coast,
want you to be one of the best Presidents America has ever known.

We want you to aspire to be "That One" as Senator McCain pointed to you, Mr. President.

We would also like you to work with all the 13 year old and older as the campaign should begin for the Re Election of Obama in 2012. All my young nephews and nieces have been supporting you despite the fact they would not even be old enough to vote in 2012.

That was how I knew that you would win the nomination and Presidency last year. My young children who are over 18 now, told me, and argued against my prejudice that a black man will never be elected as President in America. They said 95 % of the white friends supported you. I was thrilled.

The world and Asia looks up to you being the most powerful man in the world.
We all pray and hope that you will be as wise as King Solomon and you have the best counsel. Your wife, Michelle, which is also my eldest child's name. She will also become an attorney, like Michelle entering law college in 2010. Right now she is studying for a year in Florence, Italy.

There needs to be an urgent need to have a paradigm shift in creating a good image of America, overseas. Yes, You can do it.

We all wish you the very best and remain safe for the sake of America, and the world. Our prayers are with you, and we would not give any advise to your team.

Yours Sincerely,

Donald Gnanakone
Founder
Tamils For Obama.
Los Angeles, California.
310 404-4701. - Sri Lanka Guardian