Manufacturing News while Refusing to Report Reality

Everyone knows the popular story of an elephant and six blind men who were asked to touch different parts of the animal and asked to say how the animal looked like, and everyone of them narrating different perceptions except the reality. We were reminded of this story on November 12, while going through the English dailies published from Chennai reporting on the reception accorded to DMK Treasurer Thalapathi M.K.Stalin and Parliamentary Party leader Thiru T.R.Baalu, on their return from New York, Geneva and London, after successfully carrying out the tasks of presenting Kalaignar’s petition on Eelam Tamils to the Deputy Secretary General of the UNO, the Chairperson of the UNHRC and attending World Tamils conference in London, and the felicitations meeting held in the evening on the previous day November 11.

The ‘Deccan Chronicle’ reported:

“Support to UPA on condition: MK

DMK President M.Karunanidhi on Sunday said his Party’s support to the UPA would depend on Delhi backing the resolution of his ‘Tamil Eelam Supporters’ Organisation’ demanding referendum among Tamils living in Sri Lanka and abroad to help arrive at a political solution for the island nation.

The assertion indicates hardening of his relations with the UPA in general and Congress in particular even as rumours gathered strength that the Dravidian Stalwart has already begun moves towards a new coalition for the 2014 Lok Sabha poll……….”

There was another report in the daily written by their political expert (!) K.S.Jayaseelan from New Delhi, which stated:

“DMK fuming at PM’s adviser calling on CM to discuss development

Cong, DMK drifting apart?

Congress is upset with DMK for having deputed Stalin to the UN for submitting its TESO resolution

….

‘The Times of India’ reported:

“DMK links support to UPA with Lankan Tamil referendum

The DMK, UPA’s key ally at the Centre, on Sunday held out a veiled threat to the Congress-led regime saying its continued support hinged on the government prevailing upon the United Nations ………

In another development reflecting frosty ties with Congress, DMK leaders stayed away from a feast hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi in the runup to the winter session of Parliament…

….still a long way to go,” said Karunanidhi, who has been known to periodically step up rhetoric on the issue. On Saturday, he had openly condoled the death of Nadarajah Mathinthiran, a former LTTE commander assassinated in France last Thursday…..”

And, of course, ‘The New Indian Express’ which had been turned into undeclared official daily of ADMK, had its own version under the headline ‘Stalin show raises eyebrows’ containing their usual trash whenever they write about the DMK and Kalaignar.

‘The Times of India’ in particular and all these dailies in general, seem to have an exclusive DMK Desk mandated to manufacture some story or the other everyday discrediting the DMK  and floating speculations of rift with the UPA. They published a story on 11-11-2012, the day on which Thiru. Stalin returned from abroad. T.R.Baalu returned to New Delhi the previous day to attend the meeting of Parliamentary Standing Committee for Railways, for which he was the Chairman. On Sunday he returned to Chennai to join with Stalin on his arrival excusing himself from attending PM’s dinner. The ‘story’ scripted by Karthik s and published in TOI on the day is as under:

“ DMK may boycott PPs dinner in Delhi”

The DMK, now the largest Congress ally, is likely to boycott Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs dinner party slated for Sunday, party sources said. The dinner is being hosted by the Prime Minister for the first time after the Trinamool Congress withdrew support to the government.

On Sunday, representatives of the alliance parties of the ruling UPA-2 coalition will meet at the PMs home in New Delhi.  But the DMKs representative and parliamentary party leader T R Baalu is likely to absent himself from the key gathering.

Coming close on the heels of the exit of Mamata Banerjees TMC from the UPA, the DMK absenting itself from the dinner could prove a huge embarrassment for the Congress.

With the government gearing to face the opposition onslaught during the winter session of Parliament on several issues, including foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail and hike in diesel price, the PM hosted a dinner for Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav on Friday. Yadavs son and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav was also present, along with parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah. The winter session of Parliament begins on November 22. Baalu, who reached Delhi from UK on Friday night, has been summoned to Chennai by his party leader.

It is significant that the DMKs decision to boycott the dinner comes in the wake of remarks by Union minister of state in the PMO V Narayanasamy in an interview to a Tamil magazine that the ruling AIADMK had been more supportive of the controversial Kudankulam nuclear power project than his own ally, the DMK. Though the minister had hurriedly clarified he had been misquoted, DMK chief M Karunanidhi had been quick to point out that his party had been consistent in its support of the project.

The DMK decision also comes a day after the PMs adviser T K A Nair called on chief minister J Jayalalithaa in an apparent effort to speed up some key central projects being implemented with states assistance. The meeting was described as rare and significant by officials.

Our relationship with the Congress has not been so good in recent times. They are not treating us like a valuable partner and the distance between the parties has grown,  a DMK leader said, pointing out that DMK leaders had avoided meeting the PM when he was passing through Chennai a couple of months ago.”

While publishing such a big story, this daily and ‘Deccan Chronicle’ did not bother to make the elementary verification whether dinner would happen or not. This same story of DMK boycotting PM’s dinner was repeated in the subsequent days also. But actually, the proposed dinner was cancelled by the PMO owing to the absence of NCP leader and senior Union Minister Shard Pawar in Delhi.  So that part of the story is simply nonsense. Union Minister of State V.Narayanasamy had already clarified on his comment on Kudankulam plant and hence that part was beating the bush again. And as themselves had said the PM’s adviser T K A Nair called on Jayalalitha in an effort to speed up some key central projects implemented in the state. Kalaignar had criticized Jayalalitha for halting ongoing works in infrastructure projects implemented by the previous DMK rule with assistance of the Centre. He is not a mean politician as these dailies try to portray by saying that he was upset over the PM’s envoy meeting the CM for expediting the projects, the costs of which were soaring due to delay in execution.

The same daily on the very same day they published this story also reported the arrogance of the ADMK government in stopping the works of yet another highway project:

“State tells NHAI to stop Trichy project

The Tamil Nadu government on Saturday ordered stoppage of work on the 374-crore Trichy-Karaikudi national highway project. This is the second major infrastructure project implemented by the Centre to be stopped by the state government. Earlier this year, work on the 1,800-crore Chennai Port-Maduravoyal elevated expressway was stopped citing deviations in its alignment along the Cooum.

Citing objections and opposition from local farmers, who apprehended loss of irrigation water sources, a senior engineer of the Water Resources Organisation asked the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) officials at the site to stop work on Saturday.

The project, which would link six national highway stretches in the region, involves construction of a two-lane path with paved shoulders in the Trichy-Karaikudi section of NH-210. The 84km stretch includes 25km of Trichy bypass on NH-67. Launched in 2010, the project was to be completed by May 14, 2013.

On 14-11-2012, the TOI published two ‘stories’ on DMK for about half a page, “PC meets MK in bid to iron out crease : But DMK chief Non-Committal “ and “With Lanka rhetoric, Karunanidhi charts poll course”. As usual they write their own perceptions or wishful thoughts as if told to them by ‘a senior DMK leader’, ‘a Congress functionary’, ‘sources’ etc., taking cover under the protection to media (given in good faith for objective reporting) that sources need not be disclosed.

First of all, there is absolutely no need for any daily or periodical to make hair-splitting news analysis or investigative reports about the DMK and its leader Kalaignar. There is no leader in the country whose functioning and affairs are as transparent as Kalaignar and there cannot be any complaint that he was ever inaccessible to the media. Almost everyday he releases detailed statements on developments and problems of the state, country and people. But most of these dailies either black out or give cursory space for his statements of facts, but on the contrary publish lengthy unfound and baseless ‘stories’ on DMK manufactured in their editorial desks. The outcome of this sort of dubious function was their above said reports on the public meeting and reception on 11-11-2012, which were far from truth. The blind persons who touched the elephant and narrated their wrong perceptions were visually handicapped, but the journalists working in these dailies seemed to be intellectually castrated to think only in the think in line with the political policy of their owners.

The Times of India repeated the same concocted  story on the subsequent days in two more lengthy reports on the meeting of Union Minister Thiru P.Chidambaram with Kalaignar and another lengthy story as if Kalaignar is charting course for alliance in the next Parliamentary elections in 2014 with its ‘Lankan rhetoric’.

The veteran Communist leader late EMS Namboodripad once addressing a press meeting in Chennai and patiently answering the rubbish questions of scribes for more than a hour, finally advised them ‘you are all very young journalists. You must read the history of communist movement,  the programme of the Party and atleast our periodicals before you ask us such questions. On the contrary all of you read anti communists literatures and make up your mind that doing a disservice to yourselves and to your readers.”

This advice of that great leader equally applied to the present day journalists and their editorial boards. Most of them if not all have no idea of the history of the Dravidian movement and Tamil Nadu politics, the stand of DMK on various issues and they don’t even seem to read the Party’s daily Murasoli or even the statements of Kalaignar faxed to them everyday.

Otherwise how can Tamils of India make a four column news analysis that none of the major political parties in Tamil Nadu including the DMK, ADMK, DMDK, MDMK and PMK had condemned the attack on Dalits in a village in Dharmapuri district following the marriage of the caste Hindu girl with a Dalit boy. Only on the previous day Kalaignar had released a question-answer statement condemning the incident and urging the government to take action against the culprits under PCR Act. The very heading they gave to the statement was ‘Should Venmanis continue due to love of darlings’. Neither the editorial desk of the daily seem to have gone through the statement nor the report in other papers. Had they known the history of Tamil Nadu and the gory incident in Keezha Venmani village in Tiruvarur district in the year 1967 in which 44 Dalits men, women and children were burn to death by landlords, they would have understood the depth of Kalaignar concern for the Dharmapuri incident now.

While these so called elitist English dailies concoct stories like the above wantonly discrediting the DMK, they don’t dare to write anything about this ruling party and its chaotic regime and they also take care to cover up the shortcoming of the regime by not publishing the daily statements of Kalaignar pointing out the mistakes of the regime. They claim to be industry friendly but still they don’t publish anything about the ordeals of the people, the industry and all fields of life due to unprecedented powercut of 12 to 16 hours a day. Nor have they published any factual report on the arrogance and petty mindedness of Jayalalitha in stopping the ongoing works as much as 8 infrastructure projects the DMK government initiated with the assistance of the Centre.

The DMK and Dravidian movement have grown in the past in spite of hostile media and the party needs no backing of any daily. However, these dailies should do justice to their readers and preserve journalistic ethics.

Consolidate International Opinion Against Lanka!

Never before in the history of Lankan Tamils, there was such a rise of international opinion as of now against the Sinhala regime of Sri Lanka in its handling of ethnic Tamil minorities in that country. As DMK President and TESO Chairman Kalaignar M.Karunanidhi has said the developments
in the United Nations Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC) Universal Periodic Review  (UPR) session held on November1 in Geneva, in the background of DMK Treasurer Thalapathi M.K.Stalin and Parliamentary Party leader Thiru T.R.Baalu presenting the petition of him based on TESO resolutions, have brightened our hopes, the present context is very crucial for finding immediate relief for the sufferings of Eelam Tamils and a permanent political solution for their problems.
All along the Sri Lankan regime had been successfully thwarting international interference against its genocidal mission under the alibi of fighting against terrorism. Even international forums such as UNO, UNHRC, Amnesty International etc., were hesitant to exert pressure on the regime. Only during the last phase of the civil war and unmindful aerial bombing of civilian areas including hospitals in 2009, the Lankan regime was cautioned against its blind offensives. But after the end of war in May, 2009, with heart rending visuals of the wounded men, women and children, war-ravaged houses, blind-folded men shot down by Lankan armed forces etc., the conscience of the world was stirred up and many nations started  voicing concern for the hapless people affected by war, and questioning the human rights record of the regime, conditions of internally displaced persons (IDPs), their resettlement and rehabilitation.
All these culminated in the UNHRC adopting a resolution in March this year against Sri Lanka for its human rights abuses and violation of international law during the final phase of war in 2009. The council’s UPR Working Group began its fourteenth session in Geneva to review the country’s progress (or regress). The working group consisted of a group of 47 countries headed by a ‘troika’. By default, India was a part of the troika, along with Benin and Spain,
For Sri Lanka, it was another battle against the international community’s crusade for human rights. A large group of experts and diplomats were sent to present their progress report before the working group. Sinhalese political parties in Sri Lanka stand united in support of the Rajapaksa regime and even pitched for abolition of the 13th amendment to their Constitution which authorizes the devolution of powers to provinces- considered as the political solution for ethnic Tamils. 
The UNHRC resolution passed in March,2012 against Sri Lanka made two ‘earnest appeals’ to Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) to implement the constructive recommendations proposed by their own Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation (LLRC) including:
 “the need to credibly investigate widespread allegations of extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearances, demilitarize the north of Sri Lanka, implement impartial land dispute resolution mechanisms, re-evaluate detention policies, strengthen formerly independent civil institutions, reach a political settlement on the devolution of power to the provinces, promote and protect the right of freedom of expression for all and enact rule of law reforms”; and “requests to the GoSL to present, as expeditiously as possible, a comprehensive action plan detailing the steps that the government has taken and will take to implement the recommendations made in the Commission’s report, and also to address alleged violations of international law”.
On ground, the Rajapaksa regime has taken no steps to implement any of these recommendations. The Defence Secretary has even refuted the likelihood of demilitarization of northern Sri Lanka. The ruling coalition parties have recently urged the President to moot a resolution in the Parliament to scrap the 13th amendment. Media freedom is highly restricted and suppressed. Death threats to editors, police raids on websites, abductions and intimidations still exist. Instead of making concrete efforts to rebuild and reconcile with Tamils, the government has built a ‘victory memorial’ in war-ravaged area in northern Lanka where thousands of Tamils shed their blood in valiant battle. Traces of Tamil history and culture have been vandalized. Overall, this gives a strong impression that not only reconciliatory work is not in progress at all but also in regress.
Western countries kept up pressure on Sri Lanka at the UPR session of the UNHRC  on Nov 1 to prosecute killings of civilians and other crimes committed in its 30-year civil war and to investigate continuing grave violations.
Britain and the United States said that accountability must be established for serious breaches in the conflict that ended in 2009 and they voiced concern at the latest attacks on journalists, activists and lawyers.
U.S. ambassador Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe said Sri Lanka must “end impunity for human rights violations and fulfill legal obligations regarding accountability by initiating independent and transparent investigations...into alleged violations of international law and hold those found culpable to account”.
“Former conflict zones remain militarized and the military continues to encroach upon daily civilian and economic affairs,” she said, while torture, extra-judicial killings, disappearances, and threats to freedom of expression persist.
British ambassador Karen Pearce said there should be no impunity for attacks on journalists, rights defenders and lawyers “nor reprisals against any individual including for cooperating with U.N. mechanisms”.
International investigators, whose findings have been rejected by the Sri Lankan authorities, have said the army committed large-scale abuses and was responsible for many civilian deaths in the final stages of the war against Tamil Tiger rebels.
A Geneva-based body that monitors legal matters, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), said earlier on Thursday that Sri Lanka’s government had made it all but impossible for victims of rights abuses to get justice.
President Rajapaksa’s ruling party moved a motion in parliament on Nov1 to impeach the chief justice for violating the constitution, signaling a deepening rift between the government and the judiciary.
Sri Lankan Parliament has begun the process to impeach Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake.
Last month, Ms. Bandaranayeke locked horns with the Legislature and the Executive over a Bill that sought to take away some of the powers vested in the Provinces. The Bill places powers to spend about LKR 80 billion on development on a single Ministry controlled by Basil Rajapaksa, a brother of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The Tamil National Alliance challenged the Bill, and the Chief Justice held that the Bill had to be approved by all nine Provincial Councils. This created problems for the government as the Northern Province does not have an elected council. The Northern Province Governor gave his consent to the Bill, which was challenged in court. Supreme Court ruled that certain provisions of the proposed Bill required a two-thirds majority to be passed in Parliament.
Political opponents believe that the stand-off over the draft legislation is the reason behind the impeachment move. Democratic People’s Front leader Mano Ganesan tweeted: “Rajapaksa’s cat is out. Regime is impeaching CJ, for ruling against Divineguma bill which is eating up the power share concept…World is calling Rajapaksa to share power. Instead of sharing, he is taking back what is already shared by law.” Ms. Bandaranayeke, an academic who became a Supreme Court judge with no experience either on the bench or at the bar, was hand-picked to be the first woman Chief Justice in May last year. Though many crucial verdicts went in favour of the government under her watch, her ties with the President nosedived in the last few months: a judicial officer issued a press statement complaining of interference, and the government held that she had over-stepped her authority.
The arrogance exhibited by the Mahinda Rajapaksa government in presenting an impeachment motion against Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake on the day Sri Lanka was being reviewed at the UN Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC) Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on human rights is likely to have adverse repercussions in months to follow.
The impeachment motion came last week after statements were made by members of the government on abolishing the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which deals with devolving power to the provinces. Talks of abolishing the 13th Amendment to the Constitution were in clear violation of the commitments undertaken by the Sri Lankan government at the last UPR in 2008. The government had made a voluntary commitment to effectively implement the 13th and 17th Amendments.
In moving towards abolishing the 13th Amendment, the Rajapaksa government would have had to first overcome the obstacle posed by India, the architect of that piece of legislation. Realizing India’s role during the UPR as a member of the troika that would be reviewing Sri Lanka, the Rajapaksa government decided to go slow on the whole idea of abolishing the 13th Amendment.
However, the government managed to outdo the whole abolition of the 13th Amendment drama by starting work on impeaching the Chief Justice. After weeks of speculation, it was on September 30th that the government put in motion the move to impeach the Chief Justice. The decision to sign the motion was made at a party leaders’ meeting of the governing party.
Although questions may rise on the timing of the impeachment motion, it is evident that the Rajapaksa government has now given priority to issues closer to home rather than those that would be raised in Geneva. The government’s immediate priority is to ensure its functioning without any hindrance from an opposition, legislature and now the judiciary.
Impeaching the Chief Justice would ensure judgments in favor of the governing party in cases that are already before the Supreme Court. In the event of objections from the international community, the Rajapaksa government could always pull out the “patriotic” stance and “harassment” by the international community.
Be that as it may, the Rajapaksa government will have to stand by its actions and respond before many international fora, which commenced from last week’s UPR in Geneva. While Sri Lanka’s report for this year’s UPR was presented to the Council by India, Spain and Benin, on Nov.5  and adopted the same day, it would be taken up at the next session in March 2013 along with the review of the US backed Resolution on Sri Lanka this year. It could very well be the Ides of March for the Rajapaksa government during the 22nd session of the UNHRC in Geneva next year.
The US, which sponsored a Resolution on Sri Lanka at the 19th session of the UNHRC in March this year, made a firm statement at Sri Lanka’s UPR. US Ambassador Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe while commending certain steps taken by the government expressed serious concerns over the continued violation of human rights taking place in Sri Lanka. Donahoe also referred to the move to impeach the Chief Justice and said, “Especially in light of today’s news of the efforts to impeach the Chief Justice, strengthen judicial independence by ending government interference with the judicial process, protecting members of the judiciary from attacks, and restoring a fair, independent, and transparent mechanism to oversee judicial appointments”.
The US focus on Sri Lanka’s judiciary became more evident with the statement made by the US State Department on Nov.2. US State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland has said that the US also noted with concern recent threats to Sri Lankan judicial officials, including the assault last month on a judge who had publicly criticized government pressure on members of the judiciary.
“We urge the Government of Sri Lanka to avoid any action that would impede the efficacy and independence of Sri Lanka’s judiciary. The United States along with our partners in the international community continues to urge Sri Lanka to address outstanding issues of the Rule of Law, democratic governance, accountability and reconciliation,” Nuland said.
The statements made by Donahoe and Nuland last week were warning signs to the Rajapaksa government that the focus of the international community was once again on Sri Lanka. The US that has remained somewhat silent in relation to Sri Lanka since last March, made a firm statement during Sri Lanka’s UPR. Donahoe’s statement: “We note steps taken by the government of Sri Lanka to resettle IDPs, foster economic growth, improve infrastructure, and develop a National Action Plan for implementing a number of recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC)”.
However, the US stated that it remained concerned by the consolidation of executive power, including the passage of the 18th Amendment, and that no agreement has been reached on political devolution.
“Former conflict zones remain militarized, and the military continues to encroach upon daily civilian and economic affairs. The Ministry of Defense has controlled the NGO Secretariat since 2010,” Donahoe noted. However, the most serious comment by the US was to say that serious human rights violations continue, including disappearances, torture, extra-judicial killings, and threats to freedom of expression.
“Opposition figures have been harassed, detained, and prosecuted.  There have been no credible investigations or prosecutions for attacks on journalists and media outlets.  In the past 30 days, a judge who questioned executive interference in the judiciary was severely beaten in broad daylight by multiple assailants and derogatory posters appeared in\ Colombo threatening the director of an NGO challenging a government bill that would weaken provincial councils. No arrests have been made,” Donahoe stated.
The US made several recommendations that include the implementation of the constructive recommendations of the LLRC, including the removal of the military from civilian functions; creation of mechanisms to address cases of the missing and detained; issuance of death certificates; land reform; devolution of power; and disarming paramilitaries. The US also observed: “Transfer NGO oversight to a civilian institution and protect freedom of expression and space for civil society to operate, by inter alia investigating and prosecuting attacks on media personnel and human rights defenders. End impunity for human rights violations and fulfill legal obligations regarding accountability by initiating independent and transparent investigations, which meet international best practices, into alleged violations of international law and hold those found culpable to account”.
Concerns raised by India at the UPR were of more concern to the Rajapaksa government. The fact that India has been closely monitoring developments in Sri Lanka has made the Rajapaksa government cautious in responding to the issues raised by the Indians.
India, in its brief statement after commending the government’s resettlement and related efforts dedicated more of its statement to the concerns it had over Sri Lanka. New Delhi has once again firmly stated its stance on the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.
India last week called on Sri Lanka to honor its commitment made to the international community at the last UPR in 2008 where it was said that the 13th Amendment would be implemented and built upon to create a meaningful devolution package.
“We recall the commitments made by Sri Lanka to the international community during the UPR 2008 and on subsequent occasions for the implementation of the 13th Amendment and building on it so as to build a meaningful devolution package. We urge expeditious action to take forward the political process for an early political solution,” the Indian statement said.
India also noted, “We have noted the announcement by the Sri Lankan government on holding Provincial Council elections to the Northern Province in 2013. We urge that the people of the Province should be able to exercise their democratic rights as guaranteed to them by the Sri Lankan Constitution as early as feasible.
“We look forward to the effective and timely implementation of the constructive recommendations contained in the LLRC report. These include those pertaining to early progress towards reconciliation, promotion of a trilingual policy, reduction of high security zones, return of private land by the military and phasing out of the involvement of the security forces in civilian activities in the Northern Province. We have noted the Action Plan proposed by the Sri Lankan government for time bound implementation of these recommendations. We believe that early and visible progress in this regard will foster genuine reconciliation. We call for credible investigations to be conducted in respect of allegations of Human Rights violations and incidents involving loss of civilian life brought out in the LLRC report.”
Sri Lanka’s promises on human rights should no longer be accepted by the international community, Amnesty International said in London on Nov.1.
The statement came in the wake of UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on Nov.1, which highlighted Colombo’s, “continued denial of the human rights crisis in the country and the need for independent investigations into new alleged human rights violations and past war crimes.”
Amnesty said the UN examines the human rights situation in each member state every four and a half years, and Sri Lanka has yet to follow up on important commitments made during its first UPR in 2008, when the government was engaged in armed conflict with the Tamil Tigers (LTTE).
“Sri Lanka has been making empty promises about human rights for decades. This was made clear by a number of countries which questioned Sri Lanka’s lack of progress in ending human rights violations during the review,” said Yolanda Foster, Amnesty International’s expert on Sri Lanka.
“Three years after the end of the civil war, the government continues to stifle dissent through threats and harassment, and has failed to take steps to end enforced disappearances and extra judicial executions,” Foster added
Human rights defenders have told Amnesty International about a climate of fear in Sri Lanka in which the state does nothing to protect them from threats.
Following a UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution in March 2012 calling on Sri Lanka to address violations of international law during the civil war, government officials and state-run media lashed out at human rights activists.
They were called “traitors” and threatened with physical harm by the Public Relations Minister, prompting the UN to denounce the threats and call for an investigation.
The Rajapaksa regime of Sri Lanka can afford to ignore its growing isolation and condemnation against it in  the international arena only at its peril.
In the present context of successfully mobilizing international opinion on the plight of Eelam Tamils and world forums like the UNO and UNHRC seized of contemplating action to get the Lankan regime commit itself to find solution for ending the sufferings of them and accord them rightful living with equal rights, justice and dignity, Tamils in Tamil Nadu and Tamil diaspora have a responsible duty cast upon them to be more united than ever before. This is not a time when their political and social organizations to dwell on past bickering whatsoever and play one-up manship. Kalaignar, the seasoned statesman, showed the way when he reacted to the observation of Prof.Suba.Veerapandian regretting that those who claim to be fighting for Eelam Tamils were more vociferous against the DMK and Kalaignar than the enemies of Tamils. Kalaignar said he was not perturbed over their attacks because those who attacked him now had hailed him in the past and they would again praise him tomorrow. Similarly, the Lankan Tamil diaspora, who are settled in many countries of the world in better conditions than their brothers, sisters and children hard pressed for existence even now in the island nation, should think and act according to the perspective and needs of these hapless people than their (dispora’s) own perspective.
Let us all, Tamils in Tamil Nadu and Tamil diaspora all over the world, work together for the consolidation of the unprecedented international opinion against the Sinhala regime led by Rajapaksa in Sri Lanka in favour of the Eelam Tamils to find a political solution for their decades-old problems. If we fail to utilize this golden opportunity due to any internal bickering and fritter it away, the posterity will not willingly forgive us!   Let us look forward with renewed     confidence and not dissipate our energy by dwelving too much on bygones.       r

'Political solution is in a Referendum under UN’

Briefly recalling the history of the struggle of Eelam Tamils for equality, dignity and self-respect in their homeland in Sri Lanka and the betrayals of promises by the Sinhala regime, DMK Treasurer Thalapathi M.K.Stalin reiterated the stand of the Party that a political solution for the problems of Eelam Tamils is only in referendum under the supervision of the United Nations Organisation (UNO) among Tamils in Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka and Tamil diaspora.

Stalin was addressing World Tamils Multinational Tamil Conference under the aegis of All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils (APPGT), a forum of British Parliamentarians and the British Tamils Forum (BTF) on November 7 in London. The three-day meeting to discuss human rights violations by Lankan regime a galaxy of Parliamentarians, representatives of political parties and forums of Tamils from all over the world. 
The DMK was invited to the conference by Hazel Weinberg, Secretary, APPGT, which includes 20 British MPs drawn from all the three parties and the BTF.
The text of Thiru Stalin’s speech is hereunder.
Respected Chairman!
Esteemed Members of Britain Parliament, Councillors and Ministers!
Representatives of Diaspora Tamils! and Friends!
Greetings to every one of You.
To Start with, I express my deep gratitude to the Organisers, of this Conference, for the kind invitation extended to the D.M.K.
We feel duty-bound to participate in this Conference, being held in support of Eezham Tamils.  We have been deputed by Dr. Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi, President of D.M.K. D.M.K; a Regional Political Party of Tamil Nadu in India, has been raising its voice for the Cause of Eezham Tamils, for the last Fifty years.  We organised Conferences and Conclaves, Demonstrations and Public Meetings, Rally’s and Human Chains, Fasting and Striking Work, to focus public attention on the problems of Eezham Tamils.
Infact, our Leader Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi formed an organisation called “Tamil Eezham Supporters’ Organisation (TESO), in 1985.  The First Eezham War was going on then.  The “TESO” was gradually converted into a mass movement to attract the attention of the Indian Nation.
After the close of the Fourth Eezham War, Our Leader Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi, revived the “TESO” recently, to mobilise support nationally and internationally for the post-war problems of Eezham Tamils.
On 12.8.2012, a big public Conference was conducted by the “TESO” in Chennai.  Representatives from various Countries participated in the Conference.  Fourteen resolutions were unanimously passed, covering all aspects of the plight and problems of Eezham Tamils.
We prepared a Memorandum based on the resolutions and presented it to the United Nations Organisation on 1-11-2012 and to the United Nations Human Rights Commission on 6-11-2012, urging them to take action on the Human Rights violations and War-Crimes, Committed by the Sri Lankan Government.
The Conference, being held here today, is very timely. This will be helpful to draw the attention of the Nations of the World, to the problems of Eezham Tamils. We, therefore, Congratulate the Organisers of this Conference for their high aim and right target.
This History of Tamils in Sri Lanka is thousands of years old.  Tamils are a National Race of SriLanka.  They have a very ancient Language and a distinct culture.  SriLanka is a declared democracy. Democracy does not differentiate between Majority and Minority.  It does not confer more rights on the Majority and less rights or no rights on the Minority.
Tamils are a minority in Sri Lanka.  Their aspiration is very simple.  They want Equality, Dignity and Self-respect.
When Sinhalese Majority started suppressing the Tamils;  When they decided to establish their own religious State;  When they adopted ‘Sinhala only’  policy;  and when they refused any of the democratic rights, employment opportunities and decent living to the Tamils;  the Tamils revolted.
Between 1983 and 2009, there were four Eezham Wars in the Island-Nation.  We have not seen anywhere in the History that the State engaged in a genocide of its own Citizens.  Such tragedy took place in Sri Lanka.  One Lakh and 25 Thousand Tamils fled from their homeland.  3 Lakh Tamils were internally displaced.  16 Thousand Tamils were reported missing.  90 Thousand Tamil-women were rendered widows.  Lakhs of Tamils were killed.  The entire world was a witness to the large-scale Human Rights violations and War-Crimes.
What the surviving Tamils demand is Fair play and Justice.  They are awaiting an answer from the World-Community.  They want a logical conclusion of all their sacrifices and sufferings.
Nations have already started advocating a political solution. The Secretary-General of the U.N.O. has been calling for a political solution to the SriLankan situation.
Based on the past experience and precedents, We are of the view that a political solution is in a referendum, which should be conducted under the U.N. Supervision among the Tamils in the Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka and Diaspora  Tamils.
With this I conclude my brief speech.  I once again, thank the Organisers for this opportunity to explain our stand in regard to Eezham Tamils, in an international forum. Thanking you!

Kalaignar outlines reasons for demanding Referendum in the petition submitted to UNO

DMK President and TESO Chairman Kalaignar M.Karunanidhi has outlined the reasons for demanding a Referendum under the supervision of the UNO among Eelam Tamils in Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka and the Tamils diaspora, in the petition signed by him and submitted by DMK Treasurer Thalapathi M.K.Stalin and DMK Parliamentary Party leaderThiru T.R.Baalu to the Deputy Secretary General of the UNO Jan Ellison in New York on Nov.1.
The memorandum submitted to the Secretary General, UNO on the sufferings of Tamils in Sri Lanka  and  the need for a political solution contains a brief narrative of the attacks on Eelam Tamils and the steps taken by the DMK in their cause from 1956 upto the TESO conference in August this year which is the same as in the memorandum presented to UNHRC.

This historical discrimination has been instrumental in fuelling the situation and creating an anarchical condition in higher education. The Sinhalese Government has introduced a biased evaluation system which discriminates against Tamil students in schools, colleges and university.
 Three years have passed since the end of the civil war in Sri Lanka and no action has been taken on the crucial commitments made by Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa to Your Excellency UN Secretary-General on 23rd May 2009 for “addressing the aspirations and grievances of all communities and working towards a lasting political solution”.
According to the 1987 Indo- Sri Lankan Accord signed by the Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and the Sri Lankan President Jayawardene, it is accepted that “the Northern and Eastern provinces have been areas of historical habitation of the Sri Lankan Tamil speaking people, who have at all times hitherto lived in this territory”. The proposed 13th Amendment of Sri Lankan Constitution envisaged by 1987 Indo-Lanka Accord calls for the integration of the Northern and Eastern Provinces; devolution of land powers and police powers to the Provinces.
However, the 25 year-old Indo-Sri Lanka Accord has not been honoured by subsequent Sri Lankan Governments. Even as recently as 2009, President Rajapaksa had declared that he was unable to hold elections in the Northern Province due to lack of census data, however there were no qualms in conducting national level elections in 2010. This history of broken unkept promises by the Sri Lankan Government is a cause of utmost concern.
Article-1 of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states:
“All people have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development”.
Such a right of self-determination was given to Southern Sudanese people by the UN. The two decades-old civil war between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement from 1983 to 2005 resulted in over two million deaths and four million displaced. The UN-negotiated Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which was part of the ceasefire agreement signed in 2005, included a referendum for Southern Sudanese people. The various agencies of the UN were instrumental in the successful conduct of the referendum held on 9th January 2011. The Southern Sudanese people overwhelmingly voted with 98.83% in favour of a sovereign, independent Republic of South Sudan.
Similar referenda on self-determination have been conducted in several other nations. If peace and tranquility is to be restored in the war-affected Tamil areas, the UN must intervene and hold an impartial referendum in the Northern and Eastern Provinces as well as diaspora Tamils and enable the Sri Lankan Tamils to decide their political future.
With no movement towards a mutually acceptable political solution and with swift government-sponsored demographic manipulations aimed at eliminating Tamils from their homeland, it is time to take action to protect the life and rights of Tamils in Sri Lanka. Therefore, I request Your Excellency, Secretary General of United Nations be pleased to consider this memorandum and do the needful in this regard.
Please hold referendum under UN supervision for self-determination of the Eelam Tamils residing in Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka including diaspora of  Sri Lankan Tamils.
      Sd.....
            (Dr. M. Karunanidhi)
President, DMK party and TESO
Chennai
27.10.2012

UNHRC team to visit Lanka next year

A delegation of United Nation Human Rights Council headed by its chief Navaneetham Pillay will visit Sri Lanka in January next year to assess the action taken on the UN resolution to probe the war crimes committed. Ms Navaneetham Pillay told DMK Treasurer Thalapathi M.K. Stalin and MP DMK Parliamentary Party leader Thiru T.R. Baalu about her visit to Sri Lanka.
They met her in Geneva on Nov.6 to hand over the petition of demands of Kalaignar based on the resolutions adopted at Tamil Eelam Supporter’s Organisation conference (TESO)
In the 35-minute meeting, Thiru Stalin explained the plight of Lankan Tamils to her and handed over a petition signed by party President Kalaignar.

He sought her intervention to withdraw Lankan armed force deployed in the Tamil areas and resettlement of displaced Tamils.
Thiru Stalin accompanied by Thiru T.R. Baalu had submitted the resolutions to United Nations Deputy General Secretary Mr. Jan Eliasson on Nov.1 and interacted with him for about 30 minutes.
The memorandum signed by DMK President and TESO Chairman Kalaignar M.Karunanidhi to the UNHRC stated:
Her Excellency,
On behalf of Dr. Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi, President of the D.M.K., and the “TESO” (Tamil Eelam Supporters’ Organisation), we are meeting you today to submit this Memorandum, concerning the problems of Eelam Tamils.
DMK is a Political Party, recognized by the Election Commission of India. D.M.K. was started  in 1949 and as such it is now 63 years old. The party has been working on the principles of Social Justice, Social Reforms, Empowerment of Women, Advancement of Backward, Poor and Down-trodden. DMK was in power in the State of Tamil Nadu for 21 years. Though a regional party, it has been playing a key-role in the Indian national politics for well over a period of 20 years and in fact it has been a partner in the Indian Union Cabinet for nearly 17 years.
Dr. Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi has been the unanimously elected President of D.M.K. for about 43 years. He is one of the Founder-Leaders of the party. He was the Chief Minister of the State of Tamil Nadu for five tenures running to 19 years. He is now the  Member of Tamil Nadu State Legislative Assembly for the 12th time. Politics in Tamil Nadu State has been revolving around him for over half-a-century now.  He is a multi-dimensional personality.  He is a convincing orator and prolific writer.  He is a great administrator with a far-reaching vision. He is a Poet, Lyricist and Play-Wright.  His entry marked a turning-point in the field of stage-plays.  He brought about a revolutionary change in the field of cinema. He has to his credit tens and thousands of short stories, novels, poems, lyrics, articles on political and social themes, plays and cinema-scripts.  He is responsible for a number of social-reform measures in the State of Tamil Nadu and his contribution to the economic development of the State is gigantic.  He is being looked upon as a tall Leader of the Tamils living across the world.
Dr. Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi, who has been raising his voice consistently for the rightful  cause of Eelam Tamils  from the year 1956, is also the Chairman of TESO (Tamil Eelam Supporters’ Organisation), started  to mobilize national and international support for Eelam Tamils.
I, M.K. Stalin, formerly the Deputy Chief Minister of the State of Tamil Nadu and presently Treasurer of the D.M.K.,
and
I, T.R. Baalu, formerly Indian Union Minister of Forest, Environment and Surface Transport andpresently Leader of the D.M.K. Parliamentary Party,
have come over here from Chennai, India to call on you, seeking your precious time and meaningful attention to the plight and problems of Eelam Tamils.
Yours sincerely,
     Sd...                     Sd...
(M.K. Stalin)           (T.R. Baalu)
Geneva,
6.11.2012 
Memorandum  on Sri Lankan Tamils Issue to the High Commissioner, UNHRC, Geneva.
The brutal civil war in Sri Lanka that resulted in the loss of lives of lakhs of Tamils will forever haunt our minds. The genocide that took place in Sri Lanka will remain as a terrible shame and stain in the history of mankind. It has shaken up the world community which is united and committed to prevent any such massacre in future.
For more than five decades, our political party namely the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) which is now headed by me has been striving for the equality and rights of the Sri Lankan Tamils. Some of the steps taken by DMK party in this regard are detailed below:
Fifty six years ago in 1956, the General Council of the DMK party passed a resolution moved by me demanding equal rights and peaceful living to the Eelam Tamils.
In 1958 the DMK conducted a grand procession in chennai protesting against the atrocities inflicted on Eelam Tamils by the Sinhalese.
As early as 1961, the DMK General Council meeting held in Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu and passed a resolution requesting the Government of India to take up the issue of Eelam Tamils to the United Nations.
In 1981, condemning the killing of the innocent Tamils in Sri Lanka the DMK organized an agitation all over Tamil Nadu in which myself and several leaders of our party were arrested. Eight members of the DMK party committed self-immolation and sacrificed their valuable lives for the cause of the Eelam Tamils.
On 25th July 1983 when the Sinhala extremists barged into the Velikadai prison in Sri Lanka and butchered as many as 35 Tamils including Tamil front line leaders like Thangadurai, Kuttimani and Jegan. On hearing this, within a matter of hours, DMK mobilized as many as 800,000 people and organized a massive protest march in Chennai which drew international attention to this burning issue in Sri Lanka.
On 10th August 1983, in order to create an effective impact and awareness amongst the entire nation, I resigned my membership of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly along with Prof. K. Anbazhagan, the General Secretary of our DMK party. Since there was no appreciable improvement in the pathetic conditions of Eelam Tamils, DMK decided to intensify and take up the issue from the regional level to the national level. Hence, DMK along with likeminded political parties started a new movement called the Tamil Eelam Supporters Organization (TESO) in 1985 to vociferously and unanimously express its anguish over the sufferings of Eelam Tamils and draw the immediate attention of the world community towards our demands.
Subsequently the TESO held mammoth processions, protest marches and public meetings in several parts of Tamil Nadu. My party successfully launched a massive campaign of collecting over 10 million signatures from the Indian Tamils and submitted the same to the United Nations pleading immediate intervention to restore normalcy in Sri Lanka and to protect the Eelam Tamils from the tyranny and atrocities of the oppressive Sinhalese Government.
The  TESO organized the first national conference of TESO in 1986 at Madurai, which was attended by national leaders including the former Prime Minister of India A.B.Vajpayee, the former Chief Ministers Rama Rao, and H.N.Bahuguna, the former Union Ministers Murasoli Maran, Jaswant Singh, Dinesh Goswami and K.P.Unnikrishnan, along with Tamil Leaders Veeramani, P.Nedumaran, Sri Lankan Tamil leaders like A.Amirthalingam, Chandrahasan and leaders of liberation groups. This conference passed a resolution demanding protection of Eelam Tamils in their traditional homeland; and to ensure and extend justice, self respect and peaceful living to them.
Further the resolutions passed in the TESO conference called upon the Government of India to raise the issue of the Eelam Tamils with vigour in all international fora such as UN, NAM, CHOGM to find solution to the problems of the Eelam Tamils.
When I was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, I along with Murasoli Maran M.P met the then Prime-Ministers of India, Rajiv Gandhi and Chandra Shekar and apprised them of the sad plight of Eelam Tamils and urged the Government of India to hold negotiations quickly with Sri Lankan Government and alleviate the sufferings of  Eelam Tamils.
Deeply moved by the loss of innocent lives in the unending civil war in Sri Lanka, DMK passed a resolution on 5th October 2008, in support of Eelam Tamils and forwarded it to the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and the Congress President Tmt. Sonia Gandhi.
On 24th October 2008, we conducted the longest human chain extending across all districts in Tamil Nadu and subsequently, a statewide general strike was also observed by the DMK.
On 12th November 2008 as Chief Minister I moved a resolution on the sufferings of of  Eelam Tamils in the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu. On 4th December 2008, an all-party delegation led by me went to Delhi and met the Prime Minister and impressed upon him to take necessary and immediate steps to stop the genocide in Sri Lanka.
Above all, the DMK Government headed by me in Tamil Nadu has been dissolved twice by the Union Government of India in 1976 and 1991 for their continuing support to Eelam Tamils. On several occasions during the course of agitations I have been arrested along with thousands of DMK cadres.
After the end of the genocidal war in May 2009, I urged the Government of India to send a high-level parliamentary delegation to Sri Lanka and conduct an on-the-spot study to gain first-hand knowledge about the rehabilitation and resettlement process promised by the Sri Lankan Government to the Government of India; and also to assess the implementation of assistance given by the Government of India, to the war affected Tamils in Sri Lanka.
On my demand, the Government of India deputed a delegation of Parliamentarians under the leadership of Mr. T.R. Baalu, MP Leader of the DMK Parliamentary Party. Accordingly, the delegation which included my daughter Tmt. Kanimozhi M.P.,  Thiru. T.K.S. Ilangovan, M.P., Thiru. A.K.S. Vijayan, M.P., Tmt. Helen Davidson, M.P., Thiru. Thol. Thirumavalavan, M.P., Thiru. N.S.V. Chithan, M.P., Thiru. J.M. Haroon, M.P., Thiru. Sudarsana Nachiappan, M.P., and Thiru. K.S. Alagiri, M.P.,  visited IDP Camps in Sri Lanka, where they found IDPs crowded in inadequate tents, enclosed by barbed wire, and kept like cattles in deplorable conditions under the sun and rain with neither adequate roofing nor hygienic surroundings, thereby causing outbreak of epidemics. Tamils in those camps suffer even without basic medical facilities. The Sri Lankan Government had also failed to adhere to  the internationally accepted standards for treatment of internally displaced persons.
Upon receiving a report of the pathetic situation prevailing in the IDP Camps from Mr. T.R. Baalu, MP and the Parliamentary Delegation, I, once again, took up this matter with the Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, on the basis of which the Government of India extended various benefits to the Tamils in Sri Lanka.
After having understood the pathetic scenario about IDPs, I made an earnest appeal to the people of Tamil Nadu, NGO’s, especially to my party men, who generously donated clothes, medicines, money, utensils, etc, which were sent by ship through the International Committee of Red Cross to Sri Lanka on 13.11.2008, 22.04.2009 and 09.05.2009. Even those relief materials despatched by the DMK were not distributed to the suffering Eelam Tamils. So, once again I represented to the Government of India to provide financial aid and play an effective role in the rehabilitation of IDPs. But, to my shock, I came to understand that the assistance provided by the Government of India did not reach the intended  beneficiaries but they were cornered by the Sinhalese.
The Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa had gone on record promising to the Parliamentary delegation that he  will rehabilitate the 300,000 inmates of IDP camps by December 2009. But so far he has not fulfilled his promises. Therefore the DMK Party has been consistently raising its voice in Parliament to the Government of India to monitor the assistance provided and facilitate the quick rehabilitation of Sri Lankan Tamils.
The continued post war sufferings of Tamils in Sri Lanka compelled us to revive TESO and organize “Eelam Tamils Rights Protection Conference” on 12th August 2012 at Chennai. This International Conference was attended by the political party leaders and human rights activists from Sri Lanka, United States of America, United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway, Morocco, Nigeria, Turkey, Malaysia and Singapore as well as from India.
In this conference, fourteen resolutions were adopted and passed on various issues pertaining to Sri Lankan Tamils questions. Specifically, the fourth resolution of the conference urges the Government of India to bring forth a UN resolution to bestow full rights to Tamils in Sri Lanka to decide for themselves their future political order.
After 2009, in the Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka the Eelam Tamil population has faced serious large-scale human rights abuseswhich continued
unchecked. Under these circumstances we prefer this memorandum for your esteemed consideration and appropriate action in this regard.
We would like to place the following human rights issues faced by the Eelam Tamils in Sri Lanka for your consideration:
State-sponsored demographic change
The houses, agricultural lands, industries and other properties of thousands of Tamils were forcibly taken from them and distributed to Sinhalese soldiers. Sinhala families are being settled there in large numbers.
Militarization of traditional
Tamil areas:
The Sinhalese army is being permanently stationed in Tamil areas, in the ratio of one soldier for every five Tamil civilians. There is a military camp in every village. There are many guard posts at every intersection. Retired army officers are Governors of both Northern and Eastern Provinces. No public or social functions are allowed without military permission. Military controls most of the economic activities. It is engaged predominantly in the use of development aid, construction, hotels, eateries, petty trade and vegetable cultivation in the traditional lands of Tamils. Military over-rules the police in most cases, even though the police regularly report to the Ministry of Defence.
Land Grabbing
Lands owned by the Eelam Tamils were forcibly grabbed during the long war period. Government and its military are in total control of land dispute resolution and ordering disputed land titles to Sinhalese. The news that the Sri Lankan Government and its military are promoting illegal emigration of Tamils through human trafficking and usurping their land titles are found to be true.
Declining Political Representation.
Tamil political representation has been declining since independence due to gerrymandering, state-sponsored demographic change and disenfranchisement of voters.
Displacement
Officially, 125,000 Tamils fled from their homeland during the final phase of the war in 2009.4 One third of Tamils had already fled the island due to genocidal oppression. Almost one million Tamils remain overseas, of which 200,000 are in India, mostly in the refugee5 camps.
Disappearances/extrajudicial executions
Thousands of Tamils have disappeared in the Eastern area since it was taken over by the Sinhalese Government in 2007.6 The International Committee of Red Cross reports that 15,780 persons are missing in the Northern Province. Disappearances and extrajudicial executions continue in the North and in Colombo with total impunity, mostly directed towards Tamils.
Indefinite detention without trial
Thousands of Tamils are being held for many years without trial either under Prevention of Terrorism Act or without any legal sanction.
Exploitation of  Religious freedom
Buddhism has been declared as a state religion and large scale destruction of Hindu temples, Christian churches and Islamic mosques continue to be encour¬aged. For example, 1500 Hindu temples were converted as Buddhist vihars while the churches and mosques are occupied by the Sinhala army men.
Pathetic Condition of Tamil Women
Vulnerable population are the Tamil women. The condition of Tamil women in Sri Lanka is very pathetic. The oppressive military campaign that ended in May 2009 left an estimated 90,000 Tamil war widows. Tamil women are particularly targeted and exploited by the Sinhalese  army men. Violent and forced sexual abuses by the Sinhalese military men make women’s security a major issue.
Restrictions on trade and commerce
The Sinhalese Government is following a discriminatory trade policy favouring Sinhalese traders only. The Tamil merchants are neglected and penalised. The Sinhalese army is entrenched in all areas of civilian life and has taken over the economy. Even saloons  are captured and run by the army men. Hence, there is no space for economic revival of Tamils. For instance, the highway from Jaffna to Colombo, A-9, previously used by the Tamil merchants, is at present totally controlled by the Sinhalese ex-servicemen. Even sign boards along the A-9 which were used to be bilingual are now only in  Sinhala language.
Restrictions on NGO access
Overt and covert restrictions by the Sinhalese Government prevent NGO access to Tamils of the island nation. The International Committee of Red Cross was asked to close its offices in the Northern Province in 2010.
Sufferings of the Tamil Children
Tamil children continue to struggle from the effects of years of discrimination and an oppressive war thrust upon them. Tamil areas have twice the rate of infant mortality as that of the rest of the island7, 40% of children under 5 years of age are malnourished and are under¬weight compared to 20% in the rest of the island8, and maternal mortality is four times that of elsewhere9.
Social discrimination
No social functions and religious ceremonies can be organized without the prior approval of the army which are usually denied. Tamils cannot even  host anyone in their house without the army’s consent.
Tamil Language, Education and Culture
The identity of culture and pride of language and Tamil education, are ridiculed by Sinhala fanatics who are trying to eradicate the cultural and linguistic identity of Tamils. The Tamil language is not given due importance on par with Sinhala language. The past administrations have failed to consider Tamil as an  official  language.
The above mentioned acts of genocide and heinous war crimes unleashed against unarmed innocent Tamil civilians bear shameful testimony to the widespread human rights violations in Sri Lanka.
Now, how will the civilized world help to heal the wounds of extended civil war and put an end to the decades-old sufferings of Tamils in Sri Lanka?
 Is it not the duty of every right thinking individual, international humanitarian organization and elected Government to answer the cries of Tamil brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka?
I am deputing Mr. M.K. Stalin, M.L.A.,  Former the Deputy Chief Minister of the State of Tamil Nadu and Mr.T.R.Baalu, M.P., Leader of the D.M.K. Parliamentary party in Indian Parliament with extraordinary hope from the homeland of Gautama Buddha, MK Gandhi and Thiruvalluvar who are universal icons for brotherhood, peace and justice, to submit this memorandum to UNHRC – a forum which takes great pride in upholding international humanitarian laws.
In the light of the above mentioned facts, we request Your Excellency to initiate immediate and appropriate action on the following:
1. Immediate withdrawal of security forces and restoration of habitations to Tamils.
2. Rehabilitation and resettlement of displaced Tamils.
3. Conduct an impartial inquiry by an international agency on the human rights violations and war crimes committed against the Eelam Tamils.
4. Restore dignified life to Tamils living in Sri Lanka.
Sd..
(Dr. M. Karunanidhi)
President, DMK party and TESO
Chennai
27.10.2012