British Tamils made a united democratic call for the independence of Tamil Eelam in a nationwide referendum held over the weekend of January 30 and 31.
Inside the Ballroom at the Park Lane Hotel in London, after two days of voting, the results were announced to a jubilant crowd: 64,256 of 64,692 voters said yes to Tamil Eelam (99.33%), whilst 185 voted against (0.29%) and 251 votes were void (0.39%).
This was the latest in a string of referendums taking place in Tamil Diaspora strongholds across the world, in countries such as
The referendums are a re-mandate of principles endorsed by the 1976 Vaddukoddai Resolution, where Tamils of Sri Lanka declared that they believed the only answer to the decades of discrimination and persecution was an independent, sovereign state of Tamil Eelam in the contiguous North and East parts of
The resolution, ratified through an electoral victory the following year, proved that the overwhelming majority of Tamils desired independence from Sinhala oppression.
This British referendum was conducted in 65 polling stations situated across the country’s major towns and cities, with a heavy focus on the capital.
Outside of
Polling stations reported an evening rush as those who had been at work or busy with their children at Saturday school during the day, arrived just in time to cast their votes.
Across the capital, polling stations were open both days of the weekend. Widespread engineering works on the tube and even a layer of snow did not stop Tamil Londoners getting out in force both days.
Organisers indicated that almost one thousand votes were cast within the first hour.
Observers at one polling station reported that a steady stream of cars, sometimes packed full with three generations of Tamils, pulled up outside the polling station.
At another polling booth, a grandmother dressed in a red and yellow saree in the colours of Eelam was assisted out of the car by her grandson wearing a hoodie declaring “STOP the GENOCIDE of TAMILS”.
At one booth, Mrs Sathyabhama Kumarasamy, now 89 years of age, spoke of her memories of voting in the 1976 referendum and remarked passionately "I love my country as I love my mother and that is why I have come to vote in the referendum".
Young Tamils, born and raised in
A medical student with her first semester exams approaching took time out of her revision schedule to make an early morning visit to the polls. “This is my duty to my people,” she explained.
Children wrapped up in woollen hats and scarves, although too young to vote, frequently accompanied their parents.
Holding their parents’ hands, they watched eagerly as their parents had their identities verified and were given yellow ballot sheets.
One father, a social worker in North-West London, carried his young daughter in one arm as he filled the ballot paper, all the while talking to her about his belief in Tamil Eelam and why he was voting for it.
Both young and old had taken time to volunteer. Determined that no one should be denied the opportunity of democracy, volunteers arranged a makeshift transport service, driving elderly voters to and from the polling stations.
Due to the unexpected influx of voters at polling stations such as
Independent observers declared that the referendum, organised by the Tamil National Council, and conducted with the cooperation of a number of British Tamil organisations, had run very smoothly.
As Sunday evening drew near, those who had been unable to vote earlier flocked to the polling stations. Queues were building up outside, as voters glanced nervously at their watches.
One shop keeper, visibly short of breath, spoke of how he had shut up shop ten minutes early and ran to make sure he had time to cast his vote.
Given the long queues, officials at some polling stations were compelled to extend the voting time by two hours in order to accommodate the unprecedented numbers.
But by 8pm all polling stations had closed, and counting began at various locations across
Under the glistening lights of the Ballroom, guests including several members of parliament, councillors and journalists, settled down for supper as the final votes were counted.
Volunteers and independent officials, under the scrutiny of referendum monitors, painstakingly examined each and every yellow ballot paper that was counted in the central
Professor Bryan Woodriff, chairman of the referendum monitoring committee, wove his way through the crowd of vote counters, inspecting the proceedings and discussing the conduct of the referendum with other members of the monitoring committee.
At other locations across
Shortly after 11pm on Sunday, the Ballroom erupted with cheering and applauds as Professor Woodriff announced the final result.
With no clear census information, an accurate number of eligible voters remains impossible to verify, but the guests expressed absolute satisfaction at a turn out of over 64000.
Although a result of over 99% in favour of independence was widely celebrated, the prevailing mood amongst British Tamils appeared to be one of vindication than elation.
The night concluded with one of the speakers asking the crowd ‘What do we want?’
‘Tamil Eelam!’ they cried out in unison.
Perturbed by such an overwhelming call for independence and the significant national media coverage the referendum received, Sri Lankan officials have swiftly attempted to discredit its significance.
The Tamil Diaspora however remains defiant and resolute. They want Tamil Eelam.
