Karnataka Tamils urge Delhi to recognise Eelam

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 October 2008, 12:53 GMT]
Stop the war, withdraw military assistance, recognise Eelam Tamils right to self determination and extend recognition to Tamil Eelam as India recognised the right to self determination of Bengalees in East Pakistan, said a memorandum issued by Karnataka Thamizhar Makkal Iyakkam (KTMI), which held a sit in (Dharna) agitation before the Gandhi statue on the M. G. Road in Bangalore on Monday.



"It is history that when Pakistan committed a genocide of comparatively lesser scale on the Bengalees in the erstwhile East Pakistan, the Indian State intervened to redeem the Bengalees to earn their right to self-determination. So, we Tamils plead that a similar role could be played having in mind the geo-political interest of India as a regional power," said the memorandum, which was addressed to the Prime Minister of India and submitted to the Governor of Karnataka, the organisors said.

Full text of their appeal follows:

20th October 2008

Dr. Manmohan Singh
Hon'ble Prime Minister of India
New Delhi 110001

(Through His Excellency the Governor of Karnataka, Bangalore)

Dear Sir, Stop the genocidal State terrorist violence on Eelam Tamils This memorandum of ours is on the premeditated war let loose on the innocent Tamil civilians by the Srilankan State that is being driven by the Mahavamsa psyche of establishing an exclusively Sinhala and Buddhist theocratic State through the violent means of ethnic cleansing. Now it is an all out war on the Tamils, and no day passes without some news or other leaking out in spite of a total black out by the Sinhala State by not allowing the world's press media to be a witness and report on them. You are indeed aware that food to the uprooted Tamils living without roofs over them is being used as a weapon to starve them out and make them to move into the government controlled areas. If allowed, the Tamils fleeing to Tamilnadu would be in spates as refugees crossing the sea. Tamils face the inhuman and indiscriminate bombing missions of MIG27, MIG 29 and Kfir sorties. The attack is primarily aimed at the house dwellings, schools and other building utilities of the innocent civilians, be it children, women and aged. The pitch of the outrage is that of denying medicines and medical facilities to those internally displaced civilians. You may be aware that aiding the genocidal Sinhala State, militarily or otherwise, amounts to being an active and willing accomplice in exterminating the Tamils as a linguistic nationality and denying them their basic human right of the right to self-determination. It is indeed history that when Pakistan committed a genocide of comparatively lesser scale on the Bengalees in the erstwhile East Pakistan, the Indian State intervened to redeem the Bengalees to earn their right to self-determination. So, we Tamils plead that a similar role could be played having in mind the geo-political interest of India as a regional power. It is indeed a puzzle for the Tamils here to see the intriguing and persisting silence on the part of the Indian Government in not taking any action, whatsoever, when the Srilankan Navy killed more than 300 fishermen of Tamilnadu over years; and it did not even demand that the Srilankan Government pay due compensation to the kith and kin of the deceased or maimed Tamil fishermen. We the Tamils in Karnataka therefore plead before your esteemed office to

1. force the Srilankan State not to wage war on its own Tamils;
2. stop joint patrolling favouring the Srilankan Navy;
3. stop supporting the genocidal Srilankan State, militarily or otherwise;
4. withdraw forthwith the Indian military personnel who are assisting the Sinhala State in waging war on the Eelam Tamils;
5. recognise the right of Eelam Tamils to self-determination and recognise Tamileelam.
6. Safeguard the rights of Tamilnadu fishermen to fish in deep seas beyond the Indian sea limits, as the fish resources have moved far away due to ecological disturbances caused by the atomic power plants, Tuththukudi Thermal Power Plant, destruction of the coral reefs and mangrove forests and Tsunami.

Thanking you,

Yours truly,

C. Rajan
President Arockianathan
Secretary