If you've heard anything about the persecution of Tamil people in Sri Lanka, it's likely you've only been exposed to the tip of a very large, very depressing iceberg. The country's authorities have systematically attacked the Tamil population for over 60 years, engaging in a prolific campaign of sexual and human rights abuses, most notably the murder of at least 40,000 Tamil civilians in 2009. The Tamils believe that their people have been the victims of a genocide.
A report by Tamils Against Genocide alleges that 12 counts of genocide can be traced to direct orders made by the most senior levels of the Sri Lankan government, including President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who has held that position since 2005. However, not a single arrest has been made and there is no sign of any independent investigation into war crimes being launched.
The Tamil Tigers – the paramilitary group fighting against the Sri Lankan government for an independent Tamil state – may be responding to institutional discrimination, but they are no angels. In fact, they were pioneers in the field of horrible ways to murder people, being the inventors of the suicide vest, and buses, trains and other non-military targets have been seen as fair game by the Tigers. They weren't averse to carrying out some ethnic cleansing of their own, either. These tactics have led to their being classified as a terrorist organisation by 32 countries. The situation is a mess.
It was against this backdrop that this year's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) was held in the Sri Lankan cultural capital Colombo last week. The Canadian, Indian and Mauritian prime ministers all decided to boycott it, owing to the fact that rape, torture and mutilation of Tamils is still happening, despite "peace" being declared in May of 2009. David Cameron, however, decided to show his face – ostensibly to "shine a spotlight" on the regime, but arguably because one of the largest donors to the Tory Party has been shown to have close links to the Sri Lankan president. Full story...
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A report by Tamils Against Genocide alleges that 12 counts of genocide can be traced to direct orders made by the most senior levels of the Sri Lankan government, including President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who has held that position since 2005. However, not a single arrest has been made and there is no sign of any independent investigation into war crimes being launched.
The Tamil Tigers – the paramilitary group fighting against the Sri Lankan government for an independent Tamil state – may be responding to institutional discrimination, but they are no angels. In fact, they were pioneers in the field of horrible ways to murder people, being the inventors of the suicide vest, and buses, trains and other non-military targets have been seen as fair game by the Tigers. They weren't averse to carrying out some ethnic cleansing of their own, either. These tactics have led to their being classified as a terrorist organisation by 32 countries. The situation is a mess.
It was against this backdrop that this year's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) was held in the Sri Lankan cultural capital Colombo last week. The Canadian, Indian and Mauritian prime ministers all decided to boycott it, owing to the fact that rape, torture and mutilation of Tamils is still happening, despite "peace" being declared in May of 2009. David Cameron, however, decided to show his face – ostensibly to "shine a spotlight" on the regime, but arguably because one of the largest donors to the Tory Party has been shown to have close links to the Sri Lankan president. Full story...
Related posts:
- Sri Lanka: a shambolic Commonwealth summit...
- David Cameron puts Sri Lanka on notice over war crimes...
- Outcry over Sri Lanka clouds Commonwealth summit...
- Sri Lanka's shame: the country has no business hosting an event meant to...
- Hundreds of grim reapers protest at Cameron's stance on Sri Lanka...
- Commonwealth apathy over Sri Lanka is only to be expected...
- Commonwealth giving Sri Lanka carte blanche for human rights abuses...
- Fate of Tamil TV presenter: chilling new evidence from Sri Lanka (Graphic)
- No Fire Zone: the killing fields of Sri Lanka...(Graphic)
- Handed a snack, and then executed: the last hours of the 12-year-old son...
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