Sumanthiran, Sritharan contradict reasoning Geneva absentia

In a meeting held by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in Jaffna on Monday, explaining to the public why the TNA opted out canvassing in Geneva, TNA’s Vanni parliamentarian Sritharan and nominated parliamentarian Sumanthiran came out with contrasting reasons. As the TNA has publicly rejected the LLRC recommendations, is there any point in going to Geneva where the resolution is harping on implementation of the recommendations; won’t it be strengthening the resolution, asked Sritharan. But, Sumanthiran implied that the resolution comes after TNA conferring with the US State Department four months back and that it won’t be diplomatically beneficial to the sponsors of the move if the TNA is present in Geneva.

Commenting political observers said that the contradiction of perceptions in the TNA had caused irrevocable damages to the Eezham Tamil cause at a crucial time.

The confusions of naïve activists and waste of resources and energy could have been avoided had the TNA stood firmly on its rejection of the LLRC paradigm, announced it openly and had stayed away from the Geneva sessions. But some articulating TNA members publicly welcomed the LLRC recommendations and they have signalled naïve activists. The game is something similar to trapping the LTTE in Oslo, the political observers said.

The UNSG panel report first paved way for watering down Sri Lanka’s historically intended and powers-abetted genocide into ‘war crimes of both sides’. Then there was no end. As the adage in Tamil says of the donkey metamorphosing into an ant (Kazhuthai theaynthu kadde’rumpaana kathai), now it has become upholding the LLRC recommendations that reject even the war crimes and fixes date for the completion of structural genocide, Tamil political observers in the island said.

The nominated TNA parliamentarian, Mr. Sumanthiran, in his speech in Jaffna on Monday was bragging of the recognition the TNA gets from the USA and India.

Such a political force of international recognition and its leaders should not go to Geneva to stand at the gates, giving food parcels to delegates, to canvass, Sumanthiran said.

Political parties like the TNA have no official space in the Geneva sessions of States. They may show their presence only in organizing private campaigns to the diplomatic delegations of the member states. Some registered human rights organisations get the chance of speaking in the sessions, but they get only 3 minutes each and there one cannot claim the identity of the party, Sumanthiran explained the futility of TNA visiting Geneva.

The UNHRC had met several times since May 2009. Some people who had not asked us about the previous sessions now ask why we had not gone, Sumanthiran accused.

However, Sumanthiran who implied the connections between the TNA visit to the USA and to the present resolution move in Geneva, said that the situation may be different in June or September and the TNA may have to then consider conducting a hosting campaign to delegates of states in Geneva.

He said that he held discussions for one and a half hours with the US State Department in January too, while on his visit to Canada. He was told that there were policy changes in the USA and they would be beneficial for Tamils.

A declaration in the international organisation is important. That is what is being attempted now. If the declaration is not observed then it will be questioned in the next meet. The USA is bringing in such a move. The moves of the West, even it comes from the USA, are likely to face defeat in the current international scenario. Who will table the resolution will be known next week. We decided that it is not diplomatic for us to go to Geneva now, Sumanthiran further said.

A few days ago, Sumanthiran welcomed the implementation of the LLRC. Some diaspora activists from the UK and even the Global Tamil Forum have been made to welcome the LLRC recommendations by the pro-US lobby. While the lure is trapping Colombo to commit to the international organisation, the fear in the Tamil circles is that their polity getting trapped in return to commit to accepting non-descript solutions and structural genocide of their nation in the island.

While Sumanthiran made the Cambodian analogy to the BBC, the US ambassador in Colombo spoke of a ‘long haul’ and the US State Department’s Ms Otero spoke in Geneva on ‘sowing seeds’, the Eezham Tamils were reminded of the continuity of the deception laid in Oslo in 2002, political observers witnessing the TNA meet in Jaffna told TamilNet.

When the Natchiappans convened a conference in New Delhi blunting righteous justice to Eezham Tamils, the Tamil polity in the island passionately defeated it. Why the ‘articulating’ sections in the diaspora are not showing the spirit in facing the deception coming from the USA is a question, the Tamil political observers in the island further said.

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