Press Release - Global Tamil Council Urges Core-Group to stand by India at UNHRC for a political solution to the Tamils of Sri Lanka. - Sept 20, 2022
For Immediate release
September 20, 2022
Global Tamil Council Urges Core-Group to stand by India at UNHRC for a political solution to the Tamils of Sri Lanka.
TORONTO,CANADA - The Global Tamil Council welcomes and thanks India for the stand, taken at the UNHRC on Sept 12, 2022 on the devolution of power to the Tamil people in Sri Lanka.
The passage of thirteen years after the end of Eelam war IV; and India’s support to the international community's efforts to bring about a meaningful solution to the Tamil national question; and most importantly after the consistent cooperation and support rendered to the government of Sri Lanka in all possible shapes and forms, once again, India has now, aligned its foreign policy with the legitimate aspirations of the Tamils of Sri Lanka.
At the 51st regular session of the UNHRC on September 12, the regional powers' statement to the council members read by its permanent representative to the UN, Mr.Indramani Panday, clearly articulated that peace and Reconciliation in Sri Lanka is not possible without a meaningful political solution for the Tamil people.
By asking Sri Lanka to take immediate credible action for a political solution, India has spelled out its well calculated stand on the Tamils' legitimate Rights. In doing so, it also has factored in the current, and evolving geopolitical context of the region, without infringing the Indo Lanka accord of 1987 and impinging on Sri Lanka’s claimed sovereignty over the Tamil Nation comprising the unlawfully de-merged Northern and Eastern provinces of the island nation.
India’s statement emphasized the importance of devolving power by operationalizing the Provincial Councils and the early conduct of elections to that end.
The statement also implied that India has exhausted all meaningful efforts to bring the state of Sri Lanka to cooperate with the UNHRC member states. This stand taken by India is a loud call to the UNHRC member states and the Core-Group countries to join hands with the regional power.
At this historical juncture, when India is vociferously calling for a political solution, it must be reminded that, since 2012, Human Rights Council resolutions 19/2 of 22 March 2012, 22/1 of 21 March 2013, 25/1 of 27 March 2014, 30/1 of 1 October 2015, 34/1 of 23 March 2017, 40/1 of 21 March 2019 and 46/1 of 26 March 2021 on promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka have been passed and none has yielded any fruit. Also Sri Lanka for its part, reneged from its commitments to the resolutions, and in February 2020, unilaterally withdrew from UNHRC resolution, A/HRC/RES/30/1
Additionally, during the civil war the Sri Lankan state and its learned pundits alleged that the LTTE was the problem to find a meaningful political solution. Thirteen years have elapsed since the end of the war and the absence of LTTE from the equation. The Tamils, India, the other UNHRC member states and the Core-Group countries are still waiting to see a meaningful political solution to the Tamil national question.
Therefore; the GTC in the strongest possible terms, re-iterate that, India as the regional power and party to the Indo-Lanka accord, has a key role in solving the Tamil national question in Sri Lanka. And the UNHRC and the Core-Group countries have a moral duty to stand by, and support India in its role.
The Global Tamil Council, as a voice for the people in the Tamil Nation in the Northeast Tamil homeland of Sri Lanka Urge the Core-Group countries to stand by, and support India's call for a political solution to the Tamils in the island nation, and pass a strong resolution in the ongoing 51st regular sessions of the UNHRC. Failure to support India will only derail the efforts of the Human Rights Council in bringing Sri Lanka to accountability.
Mayoor Nathan
Global Tamil Council
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