Colombo continues to violate Tamils’ rights- Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 December 2004, 13:09 GMT]
“We have established a system of government that upholds and protects the fundamental rights of our people in regions under our control in the northeast. Our judiciary and Police are committed a society based on the Rule of Law in which our people can enjoy their freedoms and pursue their interests with self respect. But in areas held by the Sri Lankan government its armed forces continue to violate the rights of the Tamil people," said Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan, head of the political wing of the Liberation Tigers addressing a meeting to mark International Human Rights Day in Kilinochchi Friday.

"It is deplorable that international human rights groups choose to play down these violations,” he added.

He said that Sri Lankan government’s draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act violates fundamental human values and norms, violating the very basis of the Rule of Law.

“The PTA was used to unleash state terrorism on the Tamil people, to massacre, indiscriminately arrest and torture our people. Thousands of our youth who were arrested indiscriminately and detained arbitrarily sans the due process of the law. They suffered immeasurably in Sri Lanka jails”, Mr. Thamilchelvan said.



Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, Prof. C. Mohanadas, Vice Chancellor of the Univeristy of Jaffna, Mr. Sivapalan, Lawyer from Trincomalee and Mr. Karthigeyan from the Human Rights Secretariat lit the ceremonial lamp.

Rev. Fr. Karunaratnam, The Chairman of the NESOHR gave the inaguration speech and presided the event. Mr. Sivapalan gave the welcoming speech. Prof Mohanadas also spoke.

Mr. Para, Head of Judiciary, Mr. V. Ilankumaran, Head of Tamileelam Educational Organization, Mr. T. Mahasivam, Secretary of the Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union (CTTU) and many other representatives from governmental institutions in the NorthEast and representatives of NGOs participated in the event.



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