UN Rights Chief Urged to Address Threats by Sinhalese-Buddhist Clergy Against Tamil Parliamentarian Ponnambalam - TGTE
If the Safety of an Elected Member of Parliament is Severely Threatened, one can only Imagine the Plight of the Safety of Ordinary Tamil People in Sri Lanka.
In a letter to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mr. Volker Türk, the Prime Minister of Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) Mr. Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran alerted the High commissioner about a serious threat against a Tamil Member of Parliament in Sri Lanka Due to his Political Activities.
"I am writing to bring to your attention the latest threat against a Tamil Member of Parliament (MP) in Sri Lanka. Mr. Gajendrakumar Ponnampalam, MP, represents the Jaffna district in the Northern Province. He has been active in highlighting human rights abuses against Tamils, and calling for accountability for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide committed against the Tamil people by the Sri Lankan State. He has also raised concerns about the government-supported building of Sinhala-Buddhist temples in Tamil areas where no Sinhalese-Buddhists live. This is a calculated effort by the Sri Lankan State to reduce the Tamils as a minority in their traditional homeland." said the letter.
"Mr. Ponnampalam, MP, is also very active at successive UN Human Rights Council Sessions, advocating to refer Sri Lanka to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the mass atrocities committed against the Tamil people."
On August 26, a large Sinhalese crowd led by several Sinhalese-Buddhist monks and a Sinhalese Member of Parliament surrounded the private residence of Tamil Member of Parliament Mr. Ponnampalam, MP, in the capital city Colombo. At that time, Mr. Ponnampalam, MP, was inside his residence with his family and his elderly mother, the letter continued.
"The boisterous crowd shouted slogans against Mr. Ponnampalam, MP, and threatened him with dire consequences if he does not cease his political activities and his opposition to the building of Buddhist temples in Tamil areas."
This incident is another manifestation of Sinhala racism and domination. Furthermore, it reinforces the fact that the Sinhala polity will never allow meaningful power-sharing with the Tamils, continued the letter.
I am writing to urge you to take appropriate steps to ensure the safety of Mr. Ponnampalam, MP, and his family members, especially leading up to the upcoming UN Human Rights Council Session.
I would also appreciate it if you could consider mentioning this incident in your written update on Sri Lanka during the upcoming UN Human Rights Council session.
If the safety of an elected Member of Parliament is severely threatened, one can only imagine the plight of the safety of ordinary Tamil people on the island of Sri Lanka, concludes the letter.
ABOUT THE TRANSNATIONAL GOVERNMENT OF TAMIL EELAM (TGTE):
The Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) is a democratically elected Government of over a million strong Tamils (from the island of Sri Lanka) living in several countries around the world.
TGTE was formed after the mass killing of Tamils by the Sri Lankan Government in 2009.
TGTE thrice held internationally supervised elections among Tamils around the world to elect 132 Members of Parliament. It has two chambers of Parliament: The House of Representatives and the Senate and also a Cabinet.
TGTE is leading a campaign to realize the political aspirations of Tamils through peaceful, democratic, and diplomatic means and its Constitution mandates that it should realize its political objectives only through peaceful means. It’s based on the principles of nationhood, homeland and self-determination.
TGTE seeks that the international community hold the perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide against the Tamil people to account. TGTE calls for a referendum to decide the political future of Tamils.
The Prime Minister of TGTE is Mr. Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran, a New York based lawyer.
Email: pmo@tgte.org
Twitter: @TGTE_PMO
Web: www.tgte-us.org
Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran
Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE)
+1 614-202-3377
r.thave@tgte.org
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