Canadian Tamils endorse Eelam

Members of the Canadian Tamil Diaspora have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the creation of an independent state of Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka.

“I aspire for the formation of the independent and sovereign state of Tamil Eelam in the North and East territory of the island of Sri Lanka on the basis that the Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka make a distinct nation, have a traditional homeland and have the right to self-determination,” read the vote statement.

A staggering 99.8% of the respondents voted in favour of it. 48,481 (99.82%) voted 'yes' and 85 (0.18%) voted 'no'. 17 votes were rejected, resulting in 48,583 voters overall. Over 2,000 volunteers helped to organise this historic event.

The vote statement is based on the famous 1976 Vaddukoddai Resolution, which called for the establishment of a state based on the traditional Tamil homeland in the North and East of Sri Lanka.

The resolution was endorsed in the 1977 parliamentary elections, the last set of elections before the start of the civil war and still echoes the political ambitions of Eelam Tamils across the globe today.

ES&S, recognised as the biggest International and North American election firm, managed and monitored the poll and the ballot choosing process.

"The basic freedoms and rights that we have here in Canada are not being upheld in Sri Lanka," said Darshika Selvasivam, a spokesperson for the Coalition for Tamil Elections Canada, which organized the vote.

Many Canadian officials congratulated the Eelam Tamils for organising this referendum, allowing them to express their political will.

"As a government official in the city of Toronto, I think that is incredibly important to recognise the importance of democratic process of the fact that close to 50 000 people from the country, many of them right here in Toronto, have got out, got informed, and stood with the elections when they went out and voted in the free and fair elections," said Adam Giambrone, the chair of the Toronto Transport Commission and a Toronto City Councilor.

"That would give your community to stand up and speak for your issue knowing that they got the credibility of the entire community behind them."

Arthur Sheps, a history professor at the University of Toronto also commented on the elections. “This will, they hope, give them a stronger political voice both on the world scene and also on the Canadian scene, in the sense that they can say to the government: ‘This is what Tamil Canadians — who are Canadian voters after all — want.’”

The referendum follows similar votes held in France and Norway, both of which had similarly stunning results, with a near-perfect margin of victory.

A referendum is due to be held in Britain next on the 30th of January 2010.