Rally in New York urges UN, US to intervene to stop genocide

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 March 2009, 19:23 GMT]
More than 200 expatriate Tamils protested in front of the Office of the United States Mission to the United Nations Monday, urging the United States and United Nations stop Sri Lanka military from firing into the ‘safe zone’ on the Tamil civilians. Demonstrators shouted slogans calling upon US Ambassador to the United Nations, Dr. Susan Rice, to ensure that refugees fleeing the war zone are given shelter and basic facilities, and not confined to internment camps without any freedom to lead a normal life.



Several demonstrators waved flags of the United States and the red-and-yellow flags of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), shouted slogans and carried signs asserting the right to self-determination of the Tamils.

A press release issued by the organizers said, “The Sri Lankan government apologizes to no one. They do not say that it is “collateral damage,” nor do they apologize for shelling hospitals, aerial bombing of civilian targets and for using cluster bombs and incendiary bombs on densely populated civilian areas. Colombo has threatened doctors and their staff to leave the injured and wounded, ordered the UN and the international non-governmental offices to close and leave conflict areas, closed off the Tamil areas to international journalists and observers, and denied food and essentials to the over 300,000 Tamil civilians. These destitute Tamil refugees have done nothing wrong except to be born Tamil in Sri Lanka. The similarity to the Nazi treatment of the Jews is chilling.”

The demonstrators also urged,

• President Obama to appoint an independent envoy to Sri Lanka,
• Presence of an international monitoring mission immediately to protect the Tamils, their rights and their property from being destroyed.
• International community to negotiate a ceasefire now and a political solution to allow the Tamils to live in peace and freedom in their own sovereign and recognized free state.

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