The following statement issued by the International Council of Eelam Tamil
Our stand is aimed at attaining complete freedom for the Tamil Nation -- International Council of Eelam Tamils
| by R. Sri Ranjan
( January 1, 2015, Toronto, Sri Lanka Guardian) In response to questions arising from Eelam Tamils living within and outside the island of Sri Lanka, and from the international community regarding our position on the January 8, 2015 Presidential Election in Sri Lanka, we the International Council of Eelam Tamils representing the Eelam Tamil diaspora, wish to announce our stance based on our position aimed at attaining complete freedom for the Tamil Nation.
Our position, based on a long-term vision and based on the mandate given to us by our people, reflecting their political aspirations, was achieved through discussions between country councils and other relevant actors.
The world has changed with time. International politics too has changed. However, there has been no change in the politics of the Sinhala Nation. The continuing genocide of the Tamil Nation is the direct consequence of the anti-Tamil stance of the Sinhala-Buddhist hegemony.
We have presented the international community with abundant evidence documenting the decades-long injustice and genocide committed against the Tamil Nation. In addition, the international community is well aware of the catastrophe being unleashed upon the Eelam Tamils through ample evidence gathered through official channels as well as satellite imagery. Despite this, we are saddened that the international community has failed to recognize our just political stand, one based on our own collective experience.
Our Tamil homeland has been continuously devoured by Sinhala-Buddhist hegemonic rulers who have successively come to power over the last six decades. Their policy has been on one hand to take possession of our land and turn it into Sinhala colonies, while on the other hand destroying our people through occupying and plundering our resources.
As for the Eelam Tamils, the Unitary State structure perpetuating the Sinhala-Buddhist hegemony is also a vital cause of the ongoing genocide in the island. Both major political parties which have ruled Sri Lanka are rooted in Sinhala-Buddhist hegemony and have come to power by perpetuating racist anti-Tamil stances.
In the forthcoming election, the election propaganda of those in power as well as those aspiring to come to power are aimed solely at the Sinhala-Buddhist vote bank. Their election manifestos further confirm this. Their manifestos do not mention justice to Eelam Tamils or express any mechanism to bring normalcy to their lives.
The expectation that Eelam Tamils will benefit from a regime change is certainly a fallacy based on decades-long lessons learned by us. Particularly, after careful analysis of the actions of the incumbent Mahinda Rajapakse and the beliefs of Maithripala Srisena we have come to the firm conclusion that neither is fit to be the choice of our people.
Based on history, important roles in the Sri Lankan state have been held, continue to be held and will in future be held by racist Sinhala-Buddhist hardliners. The international community in particular should take careful note that the anti-Tamil frenzy in the South and dominance of racist forces in government will never allow for the co-existence of the Tamil Nation in the island.
After the armed resistance aimed at safeguarding the Tamil Nation was silenced, through the struggles upheld by our kith and kin in our homeland, Tamil Nadu and around the world seeking justice for the Mullivaaikkaal genocide, our National Questions has attracted the attention and interest of the world.
If the international community is seriously interested in bringing just peace to the island, it should be cognizant of the fact that successive Sinhala hegemonic governments have continued their single-minded policy of committing Tamil genocide and thus it is futile to expect any of these governments to bring just peace to the Tamils.
We wish to salute the actors, who despite threats to their lives have clearly and strongly articulated a position focused on the existence of the Tamil Nation, regarding the election on January 8, 2015.
Our kith and kin who sacrificed their lives clearly expressed that Sinhala sovereignty cannot be enforced onto the Tamil homeland through military occupation. Likewise, while we strongly believe that our brethren will not allow the Sinhala Nation’s dominance over the Tamil people, we request that they ensure the Tamil Nation’s freedom struggle still lives on.
Therefore, regarding the upcoming election, our request is that each Eelam Tamil should act in keeping our long-term goal in mind, and express to the international community a stance based on only the Tamil nation's existence and security in mind.
The International Council of Eelam Tamils (ICET) is a grassroots federation, composed of organizations from across the global Tamil Diaspora that seeks a political solution to the Tamil National Question through the right to self-determination.
