As Tamils across the world marked the Tamil harvest festival called Thai Pongal, the Transnational Government of Tamileelam (TGTE) commemorated the 23rd Memorial day of Colonel Kittu and took public vow to free Tamil Eelam on this auspicious day.
This event was organised by the TGTE at The Archbishop Lanfranc Academy, Mithcham Road, Croydon on 16th January 2016. After observing two-minute silence to the fallen Martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the Tamil Freedom Struggle, the event started off with drawing Kolam and dancing Kolladdam, which are exclusive Tamil traditional art. This was followed by cooking sweet rice (Pongal) to pay gratitude to the Sun God. Hundreds of Tamils from across the UK, gathered in traditional dress (Dorthi) to show their appreciation to the nature by celebrating this event. Several stage programs including speeches took place. Victims who suffered in the hands of the Sri Lankan Government came forward and expressed their desire for a free independent Tamil Home land.
Mr. Umashan Tharmalingam, Executive Member in the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs of the TGTE, who lead this event delivered the welcome note. In his speech, he stated “The Thai
Pongal supposed to be a happy celebration for Tamils over all the world. However, since 2009, we had been observing it with tears. We are here today, not only to thank the Nature for giving this life, but also to pay tribute to the 1,40,000 relatives who were massacred during the Genocidal war in Sri Lanka. They have become became part of the nature and the Martyrs remain our Gods. Hence it is indeed appropriate to remember them on this auspicious day. In addition, we commemorate the 23rd remembrance day of the Colonel Kittu (Sathasivam Krishnakumar) and others who were killed by the Indian army in the sea. Blood spilt and the sacrifices made by Tamils in Sri Lanka would not go waste and an independent Tamil Eelam will come into reality one day. We will celebrate the proper Thai Pongal with joy that day”.
Another Executive Member of the TGTE, Mr Mathushan Rajalingam briefed the audience about the TGTE, its goal and the strategy in achieving the goal of Tamil Eelam. “The TGTE is a political formation to win fundamental civil, political and human rights including the right to self determination for the Tamil people in the North and East of the island of Sri Lanka, providing a political space to articulate and realize their aspirations, that’s not available to them in the island. The TGTE upholds democratic values, non-violence and abides by the laws of the countries that its elected members and the Senate represent. The dawn of the month of ‘Thai’ brings in hopes and prosperity. Let us march forward with the hope of achieving our goal of Tamil Eelam. The TGTE’s strategy was to make a draft constitution for Tamil Eelam under the leadership of its Prime Minster V Rudrakumaran. If the goal of attaining the independent state of Tamil Eelam is to be achieved, it is crucial for all the organizations among the Tamils, especially in the Tamil Diaspora, to build up solidarity and work in union,” he said.
Another key activist, Mr Janarthan Krishnamurthy, who himself suffered torture when he went back to Sri Lanka in 2014, told the media “It had been six years past since we had been forced to flee from our Traditional home land in Sri Lanka. The world began to falsely believe that the war was brought to an end and peace prevails in Sri Lanka. However the abduction, disappearance, sexual violence and militarisation of the Tamil traditional land are still taking place. The new Government of Sri Lanka offered nothing to the Tamils except roads and buildings. This is not what we fought for and sacrificed our lives. We fought for our freedom, our self-determination and our own homeland. We must not rest until we establish the independent Tamil Nation in the island of Sri Lanka”.
Mr Sajuban Sivaguru who suffered torture on repeated detentions told that his sister is among those who went disappeared in 2009. He demanded that “the Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wikramasinghe should clarify his statement that thousands of Tamils who surrendered to the Sri Lankan Security forces are no longer alive. The Sri Lankan Prime Minister made this statement in Jaffna, when he spoke at a celebration of Thai Pongal festival. The Prime Minister’s comments sent shock-waves through the thousands of Tamil families who still do not know the fate of family members who peacefully surrendered to Sri Lankan Security Forces in May 2009. Large groups of civilians, including women and children voluntarily placed themselves in the hands of the security forces at the end of the conflict in reliance on assurances that they would be safe and ultimately released. Since then thousands more have been arrested or have disappeared and their fate also remains unknown. International law recognizes that the families of the missing have the “Right to Know the Truth” with respect to the fate of their loved ones”.
Despite the end of the war and change if the new Government, The Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) remain in force says Mr Sivaniruban Paramasivam who was detained and tortured under the same Act in 2008. He further stated, “Tamils have faced repeated mass killings since 1958 and the mass killings in 2009 prompted UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to appoint a Panel of Experts to report on the scale of killings. According to UN internal review report on Sri Lanka, over 70,000 Tamils were killed in five months in early 2009 and Tamil women were sexually assaulted and raped by Sri Lankan Security forces. There are over 90,000 Tamil war widows and thousands of Tamils disappeared due the conflict. According to this UN Panel, the killings and other abuses that took place amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Independent experts believe that there are elements of these abuses that constitute an act of genocide. However we see no progress to date”.
“The British Government is the rood cause for all the death and disaster in Sri Lanka. They destroyed our Kings anddestroyed our Kingdoms when they invade us. When they left the island in 1948, they handed the power to the Singhalese. They acted irresponsibly and let down the Tamils. Since then the Singhalese claims that Sri Lanka is a Sinhala-Buddhist Country and began the Genocide against Tamils. Hence the Britain has a moral responsibility to resolve our problem. The West wrongly accused the LTTE as terrorists and sabotaged our freedom struggle. We must note that the LTTE did not fight for separatism. They only fought to re-gain our lost independence. But even after witnessing all the heinous crimes and Genocide committed by the Sri Lankan Government in 2009, the West let us down again. We trusted the UN a lot. But they also let us down and now suggest an internal investigation into the war crimes in Sri Lanka. This is outrageous and unacceptable. We cannot trust anyone anymore. Lets pray to the God and fight for our own destiny” declared Mrs Vasanthakumary Chandrabalan in her very emotion speech and invited everyone to make a public vow to fight for the freedom of Tamil Eelam at this auspicious day.
Accordingly, the event came to an end with everyone standing up and exclaiming, “Thirst of the Tamils is Tamil eelam”.
