Major break-through

Expatriate Tamils join hands to remember genocide

(April 19, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) At a surprise meeting held in a public hall in Manor Park, East London, on April 15, 2011 prominent Tamils of diverse views met and decided to put aside their differences and come together to remember the genocide against their community in Sri Lanka in the week leading to 19 May 2011.

Members belonging to those espoused the cause of the LTTE and those opposed came to the common forum and decided that the week leading to May 19, must a week to remember all the Tamils died in the decades old violence as martyrs and this week was equated to the Holocaust Week celebrated by the Jews all over world every year.

Cross section of the representatives agreed that thousands of Tamil civilians died in the three decades old war and pogroms by the state must be honoured as martyrs and their death must not go in vain and must be remembered with due respect and honour.

In the week long remembrance events, various Tamil organisations will be encouraged to commemorate to the best of their abilities to remember the dead and also expose the plight of the Tamils in Sri Lanka.

The attendees at the meeting were youths to the elderly and all without divisions agreed the need to join hands to carryout the campaign.

The discussion also covered remembering the thousands of Sinhalese killed in the two JVP uprisings.

Those present appointed a steering committee that will meet on May 19, 2011 in East London to workout the formulae for the campaign work. The committee will consider plans presented by one group that covered borough-wide demonstrations; talks and lectures on awareness creation on war crimes and genocide against the Tamils; vigils; cultural events, religious remembrance services, leaflet distribution, media campaign and exhibitions on the state sponsored genocide against the Tamils.

The meeting also considered presenting a petition signed by the cross section of the Tamil organisations in the United Kingdom.