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A book chronicling the struggles and unique history of Eelam Tamils was launched in Jaffna last month.
The book, titled “Ethnic Cleansing of Tamils in Sri Lanka", is authored by Selvendra Sabaratnam the former president of the Valvettithura Citizens' Committee. He handed over the first copies of his book to former High Court judge and leader of the Tamil Makkal Thesiya Kootan (TMTK), C.V. Wigneswaran at the party office last month.
Speaking at the launch of his book, Sabaratnam said that many Western nations claim that Sri Lanka is a democracy.
“It is not a democracy, it is an ethnocracy,” he said. “They have given the power to one ethnic community. We have been enslaved and have been left to fend for our rights and our dignity. They do not respect our differences and instead, they try to wipe out our race. If we continue to do nothing, we will perish.”
“This book is an attempt to chronicle and document our struggle, so we preserve our stories.”
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K.R. Ganesalingam, the head of the Department of Political Sciences at the University of Jaffna also spoke at the launch, stating this book was a brave attempt to document the massacre and cleansing of the Eelam Tamils.
Wigneswaran speaking at the launch, said that anyone who wishes to understand the struggles of the Eelam Tamils within the larger context of the Sri Lankan state should read this book.
"In many instances, the Sinhalese leaders often ask us about the grievances of the Tamils and the unique experiences that Eelam Tamils have undergone which others in Sri Lanka have not,” he said. “However, we have tried our best to clarify these matters. It is articulated in this book, which will serve as a good reference for the future as well.”
The translation of the book in Sinhala and English is slated to be released in later versions.
