Stating that the issue now was not a Tamil issue, but an
issue of human rights, DMK Rajya Sabha member Tmt. Kanimozhi said while the
world understood that the Government of India should come out with a proper and
correct reply on the support of US sponsored resolution in human rights
violations in Sri Lanka
in the UNHRC.
Speaking on the statement of External Affairs Minister on
Mar.14 Tmt. Kanimozhi said;
In the statement of the External Affairs Minister, I see a
lot of hope and confidence in the Sri Lankan Government, India seems to
believe that they will keep up their promises and there will be justice done to
the Sri Lankan Tamil people. But, I
really like to know where this hope and confidence comes from because when the
Sri Lankan Prime Minister was here, he had promised three years ago that 50,000
houses would be built for the Tamils there. Here, it says ‘300’ in the
statement. In truth, I don’t think even 150 houses have been built for the
Tamils living there. So, where does this
hope come from that justice will be done
to the Tamils there? When our own
External Affairs
Minister went to Sri Lanka and came back and met the
Press, he promised that the Sri Lankan Government would pursue with the
Thirteenth Amendment Plus approach that he had been assured by President
Rajapaksa. But, within a few days the Sri Lankan President made a statement
that it would not happen. And he further said that he had not made any promise
of that kind to India.
So, when a President promises something to our External Affairs Minister and, within
a few days goes back on his own words, then, where does this hope and
confidence stem from that the Sri Lankan Government will carry out its promises? Will there be any truth in their words and
will there be any justice for our people over there? Where does this confidence
in them come from, I don’t understand. One more thing I really like to know is,
in the Statement the Minister says that there have been inquiries into the war
crimes by Lankan government, and we believe that there will be justice at the
end of it. Their own LLRC Report
absolves the Sri Lankan Government of any war crimes. It says that ‘the Sri
Lankan Government does not have any part in the killing of 40,000 civilians
including women and children’. It absolves the Sri Lankan Government of any of
these crimes, it says that Sri
Lanka played no part in it. Then where does
this hope, where does this confidence about the Sri Lankan government come from?
Next, we talk about traditionally India keeping
away. We say we cannot interfere with
our neighbour’s civil affairs. But, we
know, the whole world knows, about the part India played in the 1971 Bangladesh
War. Recently when our Prime Minister
went to South Africa, he
proudly proclaimed, ‘Even before our Independence,
in 1946, we have taken apartheid as an issue in the United Nations, And we also
supported when the UNHRC had brought, on January 9, 2009, a Resolution against
human rights excesses by Israel
in the Gaza Strip. India
did support it.’ So, when it comes to
Tamils in Sri Lanka, when it
comes to the sentiments of South India and
Tamil Nadu people, why should we remain silent from commitment? Why should we say that we cannot make a clear
statement? We have to wait. We are not asking for anything more. We are
just asking whether the Government of India will support an enquiry into the
human rights excesses which have taken place in Sri Lanka. Nobody in this world can
say that it has not happened. 40,000 people have gone missing; 40,000 lives
have gone away or they have been wiped out.
How can we be silent spectators? Everybody
keeps talking about Tamil sentiment, Tamil sentiment. It is not just a Tamil sentiment. It is the
issue of human rights violations. Tamil
Nadu, we believe, is still a part of India. When we raised this issue, people talk about
us as if we are separatists. No, we are
not. We are looking at you for a
solution. And, you have to reply to this.
It is not a Tamil issue; it is the issue concerning India. It is the issue of human rights. The world understands that. The Government of India should also
understand and give us a proper clear reply.
We cannot accept a statement like this.
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