Conveying a spirit of struggle taking the Tamil Eelam liberation movement as inspiration, speakers at the Maaveerar Naa’l (Tamil Eelam Heroes Day) event in London highlighted the global significance of the Tamils’ struggle. The powers who collaborated with genocidal Sri Lanka, who take a position of genocide-denial, who deny the nationhood and self-determination of the Eezham Tamils, who banned and still push for the ban of the LTTE – these are the issues that Tamils need to challenge, not just as an ethical responsibility, but also to set a paradigm-setting example for other nations without states, opined Tamil activist Lathan Suntharalingam who spoke at the event. Solidarity speakers at the event also conveyed a similar opinion as regards the nature of the Tamils’ struggle.
While some believe in unprincipled negotiation with powers with arguments like ‘politics is the art of the possible’ or ‘politics is the art of the compromise’, the struggle of the Tamils has to stand outside these established deviation paradigms, asserted Suntharalingam.
If politics is the arts of the possible, struggle is the art of making the impossible, possible, Lathan Sunharalingam said. Tamils should remember that it is struggle that should stand above politics, he added.
“Tamils should lead the way to build global solidarity among the nations without states and provide leadership in this regard. The LTTE legacy of leading an uncompromising struggle for the sovereignty of our people should give us the source and inspiration to work towards such political project in the truest international sense,” he further said.
“A common platform for the national causes of the various oppressed nations will also elucidate the true universal nature of the struggle for national liberation.”
Tamil Eelam Heroes Day attended by British Eezham Tamils at ExCel Hall on Thursday
Suntharalingam also emphasized on the need for a coordinated action among global Tamils – the Tamils of Tamil Eelam, Tamil Nadu and the diaspora – to advance the goals of the Tamil civilization as a whole.
Dr. Andy Higginbottom, associate professor in politics and human rights at Kingston University, argued that the genocide of the Tamils is ongoing and it is made possible by an unholy alliance of the powers that control the UN and the Sinhala state. He also said that a regime change or an empty ‘human rights’ investigation will not help.
“We have to find the international solidarity of oppressed and exploited nations and peoples to counter the international conspiracy of oppressor states,” he said.
Erdelan Baran, from the Kurdish National Congress (KNK) Foreign Affairs division, noting how Turkey and ISIS are playing a genocidal role with respect to the Kurds in Kobane, drew parallels with the imperialist complicity in the genocide of the Tamils. Demanding the International Community to investigate genocide of the Tamils, he called for the removal of LTTE and PKK from terrorist list in the UK.
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