North-East demands international investigation' - Interview with MK Shivajilingam

by admin
Feb 22, 2014

Photograph:eKuruvi


Tamil National Alliance (TNA) member of the Northern Provincial Council, MK Shivajilingam has said the people of the North-East have now demonstrated to the international community their demands for a international independent investigation, with the unanimous passing of a Northern Provincial Council (NPC) resolution.

In an interview with Tamil Guardian earlier this week, Shivajilingam stated that any domestic investigation by Sri Lanka should be rejected and only an international investigation can bring progress and justice, a demand stated in a NPC resolution passed earlier this year.



Tamil Guardian: Could you tell us more about the resolution demanding for international investigation into war crimes and human rights violations?

Shivajilingam: Yes I proposed this resolution on 27th January 2014 and put forward three main points. The first point that it made was that what has happened and is still happening here is ethnic cleansing against Tamil people by the Sri Lankan government and the planned mass murder, which is equivalent to genocide, must be investigated through an international inquiry.

Secondly, we reject any mechanism by the Sri Lankan government because without the international community's intervention, there are less chances Tamils will receive justice.

We called on the United Nations to ensure that an independent international investigation into war crimes, crimes against humanities, ethnic cleansing and genocide equivalent, with the UN's support. Those were the three demands unanimously agreed by the Northern Provincial Council. 
Tamil Guardian: What message were you hoping to send to the international community by passing this resolution?

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