Tamil dinner says oppression continues in Sri Lanka

Chris Slee
Naarm/Melbourne
February 9, 2012
Issue 
910
News
2010 Australian of the Year Patrick McGorry at a World Refugee Day rally. He said people in the detention centres were nearly al

More than 500 people attended a dinner of the Australian Tamil Congress (ATC) on February 4.

The ATC, formed in 2009, campaigns for the rights of Tamil people in Sri Lanka, who have been subject to discrimination, oppression and massacres at the hands of successive racist Sri Lankan governments since the independence of Sri Lanka in 1948.

The ATC has helped gather evidence of war crimes committed by the Sri Lankan government during its war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, who fought for an independent Tamil homeland in the north and east of the island until their military defeat in 2009.

The gathering watched a video that showed a young Tamil woman describing the bombardment of hospitals by the Sri Lankan military in the final stages of the war.

Dr Siven Seevanayagam told the audience that “structural genocide” takes place in Sri Lanka today. He said thousands of Tamils are still held in prison camps, nearly three years after the end of the war.

Seevanayagam said that the Australian government is reluctant to challenge the Sri Lankan government because it helps to stop Tamil refugees coming to Australia on boats. He said that if Tamils were safe in Sri Lanka, Tamil refugees “would stop tomorrow”.

Professor Patrick McGorry, a psychiatrist who treated Tamil asylum seekers in detention centres and was Australian of the Year in 2010, also spoke. He said the people in the detention centres were nearly all genuine refugees, but have a lot of difficulty being accepted by the authorities.

McGorry, who was born in Ireland, drew parallels between the Tamil and Irish people. Both had fought against oppression, and in both cases ethnic cleansing has created a large diaspora.

Refugees & migrants
Imperialism & war
Democracy
National liberation
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
Tamil liberation
Australia
Sri Lanka

Comments

Anonymous replied on

There is a saying in Sri Lanka, "What ever somebody says you, you should listen mindfully". I hope that saying is True for Australians and rest of the world as well. When somebody says "There were shelling to innocent civilians in hospitals", the intention of the speaker is to make the listeners think "Oh that's bad, that is very bad! We should give money this person to fight for that", but actually the listener should mindful to ask him/her self why somebody need to shell some innocent civilians. Also, SL government rescued 300,000 refugees from terrorist human shield. So, the listener should mindful to think why somebody Shell hospital filled will ill people and save as many as innocent civilians? Also, have you ever heard, a country fought with a terrorist group and rescued any civilian like Sri Lanka did? It was a one way fight. Terrorists kept innocent civilians as a shield so they could fire from heavy weapons standing within the innocent people but SL forces couldn't. That's why it took months to reach the inner part of the terror base. SL forces acted strategically ( you may find it if you want ) to defeat the human shield without hurting innocent people. You can find more information on http://www.outofwar.com/ . The say terrorists speak, without authentic evidence. But Sri Lanka speaks, with authentic evidence. Thank you

Anonymous replied on

As I started typing the 'U' for above title to this comment, my Cyber-God miraculously brought out the title: UNNECESSARY DOUBTS & FEARS that I had given not long ago to my comment to another, different News Item, not long ago. Honestly I forget what that news item was. I did not keep a record. I don't. We can't. Because so much is happening in Sri Lanka every day, presently., and all of us even remotely connected to Sri Lanka (in the past or at present) do keep in touch, and are affected daily. So much so, we are unable to keep tack of all events. When I read the above news item, my heart flew out instantly to good Australia and joined my 500 fellow Tamils at that dinner. When I saw the picture of Prof. Patrick McGorry speaking, with his dark glasses hiding his tear-drops, my heart almost bled with his. Then my mind time-travelled fast, to Wanni in May 2009, about which incidents I had and have only read, heard, and seen footages on the TV and on my Cyber-Screen. And, yes, of course, I am UNABLE TO FORGET all that I had read and felt had happened there. Even the recent Black July Book Launch moved me. What is going to be the end to all this? And when will it come? All eyes are now trained on March 2012 towards Geneva. Well, it is the Government of Sri Lanka that can solve these problems. It alone has the peoples' mandate, and the world's backing to do so. It must face up to facts, as we all see them now, in reflection. It must be bold, to make just and fair amends to any and all wrongs that have taken place, maybe in the heat of the war, maybe mostly unintentionally. But it must face up, like brave lions and tigers, and do justice, and move ahead. As well as enable the people to move ahead, forge ahead in this fast-moving world as they aspire to. [As for the contents of my first paragraph above, Dr. McGorry the Psychariast may find the most plausible explanation and interpretation]. -- Prof. Kopan Mahadeva, commenting from London.

Anonymous replied on

WE NEED INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATION TO STOP ALL THIS I need your help in the name of humanity , would you please watch the following two you tube videos , and May I ask you to Share it ON YOUR WALL WITH ALL YOUR please 1) SHOCKING SAYS BRITISH PRIME MINISTER , http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=y9qRA847Tn8 2) Channel 4 video PM is talking about http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XADVagA2MUk 3) Even more at http://iiicampaign.com/welcome/

Anonymous replied on

If it is all okay in Sri Lanka why would any sane person undergo the highly perilous journey in boats across the high seas to find asylum elsewhere? The World Community must help to fix the problem before it gets too late and attains crisis proportions. The failure of good governance is at the heart of the matter. Those who have failed must be exposed to stem the tide.

Anonymous replied on

The above comment of the anonymous is a government plant. He preaches to readers ."What ever somebody says you, you should listen mindfully". I hope that saying is True for Australians' and rest of the world as well. He does not practice what he preaches. Had readers 'listen(ed) mindfully' would they still believe the Rajapakse story that the Sinhala forces only carried a gun in one hand and the human rights charter in the other' and not a single civilian. Now humanity, Australians included know more about the massacre and the clamour for an ICC to hold those accountable: the Rajapakses or the Tigers? The Rajapakses oversold the 'human shield story' that some unmindfully' believed it. An euphoric Rajapakserecently indiscreetly praIsed the' Deep Penetratyion units (DPU) operating in the 'no fire zone'. Independent sources recount how the DPUs firing indiscriminately creating mayhem with civilians entrapped in that zone fleeing in all directions and were killed. The Tigers fighters in the 'no fire zone' were helpless against fire coming in from outside and also DPU from inside the 'no fire zone'. The Rajapakses rescued over 40 000 by their massacre; the 300 000 escaped following international uproar when news of the massacres leaked. Gothabhaya alarmed at this outrage with his 'in the loop' hint public demanded that Delhi share part of the guilt for the massacres in Mullivaykal. An ICC coming in and providing strong witness protection will unravel exact details instead of the 'human shield' and the Rajapakses rescuing 300 000 others. Anonymous

Anonymous replied on

1. I am not a government plant. 2. So you say, there was not a Human Shield?

Anonymous replied on

That human rights violations continue in Sri Lankan north and east unabated. The government appoint committees as a habit to placate the international community but forget until UN-HRC session restarts in Geneva. Instead of time is wasted in appointing lameduck committees the government can address the allegations made by UN Expert Panel, NGOs and its own committee LLRC. LLRC concluded that ethnic war started because successive governments ignored the reasonable requests of the Tamil parties. That is what is happening at this moment, that, the government is refusing to implement its own constitution. 13th Amendment was a law added to the constitution in 1988 but still NOT implemented. So why waste time with more and more committees, because they are meant to ward off international criticism and not to address the concerns of the minorities or ICs.

Anonymous replied on

Thank You GLW and staff. Keep doing your good work :-)

Anonymous replied on

this site (tamil2020.wordpress.com) has some info on the Secrets of Sri Lanka . TAMiL2020.wordpress.com

ewilli14 replied on

And yet you hang on to every unverified allegation that the government pushes out. How is it a rescue operation when 40,000 people died. If the government knew that the LTTE were holding human shields how come they didn't stop fighting them and ask for them to let the people go? Why was an initial surrender by the LTTE refused and the attack continued? Were the lives of the 40,000 really insignificant? Why would they gladly use bomber planes, fighter helicopters and cluster bombs that affect huge areas and would definitely harm the civilians also? Why don't they allow credible organizations in the verify whether the LTTE did have human shields? They know it is not a good excuse to the number killed and their hand in the death toll will be exposed. The whole war on terror is a sham when considering the amount of innocent life killed to alleged terrorists killed. The US and its allies should be tried for war crimes and that includes Sri Lanka.

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