‘Let us pledge to continue our struggle against Sinhala oppression’

Our beloved Tamil people,

Today is Heroes Day. This day we commemorate those who sacrificed their precious lives in our struggle to liberate our homeland. This day we pay tribute to those who selflessly fought for the welfare of Tamil people and the creation of an independent state. Today is the sacred day we remember those who fought valiantly to thwart the strategies of our enemies.

Let us pay tribute to the great heroes who made the supreme sacrifice, demonstrating their incomparable love for their homeland. These Heroes faced an enemy, superior in numbers and backed by super powers, with conviction and fought to the end for the principles they stood for. These Heroes, who placed their homeland and their people above their lives, are the embodiment of sacrifice itself.

In the island of Sri Lanka, the historical and unique state structures of our people were destroyed by external forces gradually over time. When the British left Ceylon, they handed over the whole island to the Sinhala people. Since that day, Sinhala hegemony has focused on destroying the rights of the Tamil people. The oppressive policies of the Sinhala state, such as the Sinhala Only Act and the racial discrimination in education, forced the Tamils to agitate for their rights.

The non-violent struggle of our people was met with state violence and those agreements the state made with Tamil leaders were subsequently torn up by the Sinhala leaders. As a last resort, the Tamils were forced to take up arms to fight for their inalienable rights.

Over the years the oppressive of Sinhala hegemony against the Eelam Tamils intensified. Today this oppression has reached a zenith, exposing the true nature of Sinhala hegemony.

From the outset the Sinhala state breached the Ceasefire Agreement that was signed between our organisation and the Government of Sri Lanka.  The situation further deteriorated after Mahinda Rajapakse become President; the Sri Lankan state unleashed a new war upon the Tamils with the intent of invading and occupying Tamil homeland.

The fighting that started at Maavilaaru in southern Tamil Eelam, spread to engulf the whole of the Tamil homeland, imposing immense suffering on the Tamil people. From the outset, our organisation engaged in defensive war, whilst the Sinhala state waged a duplicitous offensive war.

The international community, which had a moral obligation to stop the Sri Lankan state from breaching the ceasefire agreement, and launching an offensive war, limited itself to merely issuing statements.

The offensive war by the Sri Lankan state caused unspeakable suffering to Tamil People. From Sampoor, Kathiraveli and Vaakari, territory belonging to Tamils since time immemorial were invaded by Sri Lankan forces. Trapped in small space by continuous displacement Tamil people were killed in large numbers by the Sinhala army. Hospitals treating injured civilians and schools providing refuge to the displaced were bombed.

Taking advantage of the facts that our organisation had restricted itself to defensive warfare and the international community had turned a blind eye to its unilateral military onslaught, the Sri Lankan government continued its aggression. Following the capture of traditional Tamil territories in southern Tamil Eelam, Sri Lanka commenced the invasion of northern Tamil Eelam. The military campaign that began in the western flank of Vanni gradually spread to the whole of Vanni.

Our people were displaced in great numbers. After announcing that it was unilaterally withdrawing from the internationally-backed ceasefire agreement it signed in 2002, the Sri Lankan government intensified its war efforts. Even at this stage our organisation tried to re-establish a ceasefire and revive the peace process. However, ignoring our overtures, the Sri Lankan state focused single-mindedly on the war effort.

A brutal war was unleashed upon our people who were recovering from the destruction of the 2004 Tsunami. The economic embargo imposed by the government on our people shattered their day to day lives. By expelling the international NGOs working in Vanni, Sri Lanka removed witnesses to its oppression and slaughter. Even at this stage our organisation continued to fight a defensive war and continued its calls to the international community to revive the peace process. We also warned the international community of the unfolding humanitarian crisis.

However, attacks on civilians living in Vanni intensified by the day. Hundreds of civilians were killed and injured every day by Sri Lanka’s attacks. Due to Sri Lanka’s embargo on food and medicine, everyone, from infants to the elderly, faced death by starvation. Through its actions Sri Lanka made it clear that the only option the people in Vanni had to save their lives was to surrender to them.

Hospitals treating injured civilians were attacked repeatedly. Safe Zones announced by the Sri Lankan government became part of its genocidal designs, as Sri Lankan forces bombed and shelled the areas declared as refuge for civilians. Safe Zones became killing fields. People ran desperately from one so-called Safe Zone to another without even being able to bury the loved ones they had lost in the Sri Lankan military’s attacks. Hospitals, schools, public premises, civilian houses, all came under the murderous attacks by Sri Lankan forces resulting in thousands of deaths.

The people who stood shoulder to shoulder and helped build and protect our long liberation struggle were mowed down in the cruellest way. With the support of the international community, Sri Lanka breached all rules of war and rained cluster bombs and chemical weapons such as white phosphorous bombs on our people from land, sea and air. In the final phase of the war, despite its pledge to the international community not to use heavy weapons, Sri Lankan forces rained heavy weapons fire on the people trapped in Mulliyavaikkal.

In view of the peoples’ losses and suffering, we unilaterally declared numerous ceasefires. We pleaded with the international community to protect our people and offered our full cooperation.

The Diaspora Tamils also agitated for this. In an unprecedented show of solidarity with their brethren back home, tens of thousands of Tamils took to the streets, staged demonstrations, protests and hunger strikes.

Meanwhile, Tamils in South India rose against the genocide of their brethren in Sri Lanka. Some made the ultimate sacrifice and self immolated themselves. The mass protests staged around the world for the international community to stop the annihilation and suffering of Eelam Tamils were futile.

The world ignored the pleas and protests of world’s Tamils, even as the mass killing of our people in Vanni was reaching a climax. Sri Lanka was directing heavy weapons targeting civilians. Trapped in their own homeland, without food and medicine our people were tormented.

Knowing the cruel treatment they will experience at the hands of the Sinhala forces, our people were hoping for and prepared to leave only in the presence of a safe third party. We fought to keep the Sri Lanka forces away from our people until then. When Sri Lankan war machine, superior in numbers and armaments, advanced invading our homeland, we fought relentlessly, exemplifying the Tamils’ warrior tradition.

Encouraged by the support of the Diaspora Tamils and the sacrifice of those who gave their lives themselves, we fought with ferocity. However, Sri Lanka military, backed by international powers, was strengthened beyond our means to fight them.

Even the United Nations also limited itself to statements and no action. Instead of stopping the genocidal war unleashed on the Tamils in guise of a ‘War on Terror’, it sought to appease the Sri Lankan state. Some countries even despatched their political and military experts to advice and support the Sri Lankan government.

At this time, we strove in many ways to save our people from the unfolding humanitarian crisis.  The Sri Lankan state and those acting as peace facilitator made unacceptable demands. Without understanding the fundamental nature of our liberation struggle and our peoples’ aspirations, they acted with their self-interests in mind.  This conduct deeply hurt and disappointed us. However we continued to reason and explain our position.

At the final stages, efforts we made through the internal community to save our people and the injured fighters were also sabotaged by the Sri Lankan state. Large numbers of trapped Tamils were massacred. Sri Lanka unleashed unprecedented atrocities on our people. Over twenty thousand people were killed in the space of just two days.

Those of our people who crossed over to Sri Lanka controlled territory, trusting the pledges made by the Sri Lankan government and the international community, were inflicted with immense suffering. Over three hundred thousand people were imprisoned in concentration camps without even drinking water. Six months on, this suffering is continuing. People who stood with us in our fight against oppression were taken to secret camps. There has been no information made available on these people to date. Our fighters who are held by Sri Lankan forces are not being treated in accordance with international laws and norms on prisoners of war and are subject to immense suffering. The treatment of women fighters is terrible.

Relief agencies and human rights organisation are disappointingly silent on this matter. We urge the international community and rights organisations to take immediate action on this matter.

Sri Lanka’s portrayal of its genocidal war as a ‘humanitarian war’ to liberate Tamils from the Tamil Tigers is ridiculous. The Sri Lankan President’s claim of winning the war without loss of Tamil lives is laughable. This war has caused massive destruction of life, property, habitat and dignity for the Tamil people. The economic loss of Eelam Tamils is immeasurable. With our people held behind barbed wires, the resources of Tamils are being plundered.

Our dear people,

Following the humanitarian tragedy that unfolded in Vanni, we have expanded our diplomatic activities in the international arena with the objective of bringing an end to the suffering of our people and ensuring their security. We are working on building a political structure across the globe. Sri Lanka is working hard to sabotage even these activities. It has been engaged in abducting and demanding the arrests of our organisers who are working according to international norms. Sinhala hegemony reached the stage where it targets even democratic expressions and activities of people.

From the day Sri Lanka is said to have gained independence, the successive Sinhala governments have vowed to, and worked towards, erasing the Tamil identity from the island and destroying the Tamil nation. Sri Lanka has continued to silence the voice of our people making it impossible for them to express their aspirations. Sinhala rulers have never been willing to offer a just and dignified solution to our people.

The violent and oppressive activities that commenced against the Tamils in 1956 reached a peak in with genocide in 2009. The actions of the Sinhala state and Sinhala forces, and especially the actions of Sinhala hegemony in the aftermath of the humanitarian tragedy inflicted on the Tamil people, has created a permanent rupture between the Sinhalese and the Tamils.

By unleashing a humanitarian tragedy on Tamils to break their will power, the Sri Lankan state is hoping to force their designs on the Tamil people, and bring the whole island under their dominance.

As part of this strategy it hoped to conduct municipality elections in Jaffna and Vavuniya to declare the fall of Tamil nationalism to the world. However, contrary to Sri Lanka’s hope and desire our people demonstrated their support for Tamil nationalism and nationhood again at the polls.

As urged by those nations who are sympathetic to the Tamils’ plight, it is necessary to build in those nations that respect democracy, the political structures to spearhead the liberation of our homeland. Selecting the representatives of these political structures through an electoral process in Diaspora nations is a step to international recognition. Through these political structures we should secure the support of the international community against our oppression and strengthen our liberation struggle internationally. We are confident that our people will never accept these political structures or the representatives elected to deviate from the goal of an independent Tamil Eelam.

Taking a long term perspective, it is our duty to take into consideration the prevailing internal and international environments and continue our struggle in the most appropriate form.

At the same, it is also the duty of the global Tamils to rebuild the social infrastructure of our homeland destroyed by Sri Lanka over a long period of time and to rehabilitate the displaced Tamil people. It is the need of the hour for the global Tamils to be united in their activities to gain the support of the international community for our struggle against Sinhala oppression. We ask the global Tamil community to embrace all and make new friends to win our freedom.

At the same time, we ask all Tamil and Muslim political parties in our homeland to continue to work selflessly and cohesively towards winning our rights as they have done in the past.

We remember with appreciation the efforts of the Diaspora Tamils in raising awareness of our struggle in the international arena, especially the organised contributions and demonstrations of the Diaspora youth. We also thank the people of Tamil Nadu who rose against the genocide of our people.

Tamils in Eelam, in the Diaspora, in Tamil Nadu and spread around the World! Let us continue our struggle until the dreams of our Heroes become reality. We can no longer live with Sinhalese; still hoping for justice from the Sinhalese is naïve. We are no longer prepared to trust and be betrayed by the Sinhala state.

The Tamils are a unique and strong nation. We are a nation with a rich culture and a long history. Let us face the challenges, overcome the obstacles, defeat opposition and continue our struggle until we reach our goal.

We call upon the global Tamils to come together to support all activities that strengthen our freedom struggle. The willing sacrifice of life by more than thirty thousand Heroes for the liberation of our motherland and the killing of more than a hundred thousand of our people in the struggle have kindled the fire of liberation in every Tamil mind.

On this day, let us pledge to continue our struggle, as per the guidance of our honourable National leader Velupillai Pirapaharan and as per the principles of those who gave up their precious lives fighting to the end for our rights, and work towards the formation of an independent, sovereign state of Tamil Eelam.