Speech delivered by V Ravi on behalf of BTF at the Mullivaikal rememberace day in Trafalgar square, London.
On behalf of the British Tamils Forum we pay our heartfelt homage to those who were massacred in Mullivaikkal at the peak of the genocidal assault on the Tamil people.
The Sri Lankan government, having slaughtered thousands of our people behind the cloak of sovereignty, continues with its state terrorism whilst using the same “sovereignty” to prevent international intervention. Having urged our people to move into the Sri Lankan Government controlled zones the international community now stands by and watches as our people are subjected to brutality and untold misery.
The Rajapakse regime while instilling defeatism amongst the Tamils and evoking triumphalism amongst the Sinhala masses is extending its long arms in an attempt to divide and rule the Tamil Diaspora hoping to quell our resistance to its programme of genocide.
The United Nations remains powerless to investigate the most atrocious human rights violations by a country, throwing into doubt the very foundation of international norms and rule of law. If the carnage that our people were subjected to in this century is to be prevented from being inflicted anywhere else the world, the international community ought to rise from its slumber, re-organise itself and act decisively. We cannot allow a state to use its cloak of sovereignty to commit human rights violations and deny people’s freedom.
We the Tamil people will overcome the feeling of despondency and defeatism. In the name of those who kept their hopes alive till their last breath we pledge to continue our freedom struggle. We will mobilise our people to take forward our struggle at new fronts. People power is colossal. We are expanding our people’s forum to garner this power. We will move forward our struggle in a democratic manner, conforming to the laws of our host nations.
The responsibility and the duty of winning friends for our Motherland are upon us. We need to win over, the people of our host nations, the people of other world nations, people in power and humanists around the world to our cause. We need to make them recognise and support our just cause. This will not happen by itself.
We need to expose the abuses inflicted on our people to our neighbours, politicians, the media, trade unions, community organisations etc. To drive forward this campaign we have formed local Tamil forums. Join your local forums and be part of the liberation front.
We need to rebuild the lives of our people with the support of the international democratic institutions, aid agencies and the Tamil Diaspora. Everyone in the Diaspora needs to take responsibility for at least one family in our Motherland.
We also extend our hand of solidarity to the progressive forces amongst the Sinhala people as it is through joining us in our just struggle for freedom that democracy, freedom and prosperity of the Sinhala nation will be secured.
We pledge to continue our struggle until we are free.