TESO urges New Delhi to move for referendum at Geneva

New Delhi should take firm efforts to bring forward a resolution at the UNHRC sessions next month for conducting a referendum among Ilangkai Tamils, said a resolution passed by Tamil Eelam Supporters Organisation (TESO) in Chennai on Monday. The organisation cited its earlier resolution passed in this regard in August last year and said that it had already presented the case for the consideration of the UN, member countries of the UN, the Government of India and the UNHRC. In presenting the plight of Eezham Tamils, TESO has resolved to convene an all-India level meet of political party leaders in New Delhi in March. Condemning New Delhi encouraging Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa visiting India this week, TESO has also resolved to organise a black-clad demonstration in Chennai on Friday morning, protesting his visit.

TESO welcomed the US Deputy Asst. Secretary James Moore’s statement on a procedural resolution to follow the earlier resolution at Geneva, and resolved that India should support and should take a stand without any ambiguity in the event of such a move taken by the USA.

Last year the Government of India voted in favour of the resolution due to pressure from Tamil Nadu. But later, not only it didn’t take any action, but also it is engaged in a wrong campaign against the resolution, TESO accused.

PDF: Resolutions by TESO [Tamil]

The other resolutions of the TESO reiterated on international investigations of the war crimes in the island, Indian intervention in the release of the remaining two Jaffna University students in SL military detention, Indian and IC intervention in arresting the cultural genocide and erasure of Tamil identity, and Indian and IC pressure on Colombo in getting an answer on the whereabouts of a number of LTTE senior leaders captured alive.

On the fishermen issue of Tamil Nadu, TESO demanded the Government of India to establish a Naval Base at Ma’ndapam. Condemning the continued attack on the fishermen of Tamil Nadu by the Navy of Sri Lanka, TESO resolved to conduct two protest demonstrations, one at Raameasvaram on 18 February and the other at Naakap-paddinam on 19 February.

The 9-point TESO resolutions on Monday were released to media in a press statement stamped by the DMK headquarters.

An earlier TESO press statement on 26 January, stamped by the DMK headquarters, cited DMK parliamentary leader T.R. Balu talking about a TESO delegation visit to New Delhi, on 28 and 29 January, to meet Indian Minister of External Affairs and envoys of the 47 countries in the UNHRC.

According to Balu, the delegation that was led by Mr. MK Stalin and included Mr K. Veeramani, Mr. Thol Thirumavalavan, Ms. Suppulakshmi Jagadeesan and Prof. Supa Veerapandian, was to campaign for the implementation of the UNHRC resolution.

The TESO delegation’s New Delhi visit was coinciding with the visit of the US officials to Colombo.

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Welcoming the TESO statement on Monday reiterating referendum at least as its 7th resolution, new generation Tamil activists in the island commented that TESO should not encourage the USA’s ‘procedural’ follow up of the LLRC-based UNHRC resolution that ultimately legitimises the annihilation of the territoriality of the nation of Eezham Tamils in the island.

The most precarious act of permanently damaging consequences that is currently committed on the nation of Eezham Tamils in the island is the militarized Sinhala colonisation. Unless this is directly addressed with utmost priority and urgency, even a referendum would be useless, the Tamil activists cautioned.

There are strong circumstantial evidences that the USA and India are tacitly encouraging the Sinhala State to complete the demographic, geographic and territorial genocide of the nation of Eezham Tamils, as much as possible and as early as possible, the activists alleged.

What prevents the TESO that has Tamil Eelam in its name from internationally voicing for the protection of the territorial integrity of the country of Eezham Tamils in the island, asked the activists.

TESO should directly and openly tell the USA engineering resolutions that the Tamil priority is protection of its nation and land, and only when that is addressed Tamils could think of cooperating with anyone. Rather than naively campaigning for the US procedures, TESO should lead alternative opinion to come openly from the international arena. It should prevail upon New Delhi to come out with better and competitive alternatives, the activists said.

Tamil civil society in the island and in the diaspora, from New Zealand to the USA and Canada should not remain silent at this crucial juncture. Getting the cue from the ambiguity within organisations such as the TESO, politicians and activists, the civil society should rise up and tell its demand for nation and territory openly and frankly to the edification of ambiguity and to strengthen positive forces within the organisations, politicians and activists. Failing, Tamils would only see ambiguity hijacking their cause, the new generation Tamil activists in the island commented further.

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