Eelam Tamils dismayed by the Indian Army’s honor accorded to alleged Sri Lankan War Criminal Shavendra Silva

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, December 14, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- General Shavendra Silva, Chief of Defense Staff of Sri Lanka, an alleged war criminal and Genocidaire, received a warm welcome by the Indian army at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradunon Saturday December 9.

Seventy-five years ago, on 9 December 1948, the Genocide Convention was the first human rights treaty adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations.

The Ministry for the prevention of Genocide and mass atrocities of the TGTE is shocked by the honor accorded to Genocidaire, General Shavendra Silva on December 9, the day declared as the day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.

On August 19, 2019, Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said, “the promotion of Lieutenant-General Silva severely compromises Sri Lanka’s commitment to promote justice and accountability in the context of Human Rights Council resolution 30/1”, which promotes reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka.

“I am deeply troubled by the appointment of Lieutenant-General Shavendra Silva as Commander of the Sri Lankan Army, despite the serious allegations of gross violations of international human rights and humanitarian law against him and his troops during the war,” Ms. Bachelet noted.
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2019/08/bachelet-deeply-troubled-appointment-new-sri-lankan-army-chief

On August 27, 2019, a group of UN experts said, “The appointment of Lieutenant General Silva to the highest ranks in Sri Lankan’s Army, while facing allegations of this nature, is an affront to the victims and a harrowing sign of the perpetuation of impunity in the country, which risks undermining the trust of Sri Lankan society on state institutions and fueling further destabilization.”
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2019/08/sri-lanka-un-experts-say-army-chief-appointment-affront-victims-rights

The International Truth and Justice Project also has compiled a detailed 137-page dossier and the allegations against ShavendraSilva, the dossier describes Silva as “arguably the most important frontline ground commander.”

It is surprising and disheartening to see the world’s fourth largest army inviting a Genocidaire and alleged war criminal to grace as chief guest, at the passing out parade of its new batch of officer cadets-while the outcry by the victimized Tamils of occupied Tamileelam is loud and the allegations of gross human rights violations against Shavendra Silva, documented by the United Nations and other organizations, are serious and credible.

The people of the occupied nation of Tamileelam in the island of Sri Lanka, who are bonded linguistically, religiously and culturally with India from times immemorial, feel that they have been betrayed by their own mother.

While the people of Tamileelam are dismayed by the IMA’s disregard to the allegations surrounding General shavendra Silva,and the privilege accorded to him, The TGTE’s Ministry for the prevention of Genocide and Mass

Atrocities wishes to reiterate, that, in what shape or form geopolitics of the indo-pacific region and the bilateral relations between India and Sri Lanka play, the bonding between India and the people of occupied Tamileelam are always inseparable.

Roy Wignarajah
Minister for the Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities
Transnational Government of Tamileelam


* 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 / www.tgte.org

Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran
Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE)
+1 614-202-3377
r.thave@tgte.org