TNA plans boycotting UNHRC, requests people to remain ‘calm’

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 February 2012, 19:30 GMT]
Reliable sources informed on Saturday that the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) plans issuing a statement on Monday about its non-participation in the UNHRC sessions open in Geneva on that day. The sources also said that the TNA genuinely fears that if the present unstable situation continues, violence could recur and the civilian population could again be the victims. According to thinking in the TNA circles, it is imperative that in the present situation calm should be maintained and nothing should be done which could exacerbate tensions. The reason for TNA boycott is its disappointment in expecting any positive commitment of Sri Lanka at the UNHRC towards addressing the aspirations of Eezham Tamils, despite the TNA’s commitment to solutions within a ‘united and undivided’ Sri Lanka, informed sources said.

A US backed resolution at the UNHRC expects Sri Lanka to commit to a time frame for implementing its LLRC recommendations.

The US thinks that there are some positive recommendations in the LLRC report, even though many Eezham Tamils perceive that the orientation of the LLRC recommendations is structural genocide and annihilation of the identity of the nation of Tamils in the island by 2020.

But even in implementing anything positive towards Tamils, the Sri Lanka State has a notorious reputation for failure to fulfil commitments it makes and for not making public reports of processes, which could hold it accountable, TNA circles point out.

While referring to TNA’s fear about violence coming back due to continued instability, and its advice to people, not to do anything but remain ‘calm’, new generation Tamil politicians in the island asked whether the TNA has tried its maximum in leading a democratic mass struggle of non-cooperation, civil disobedience etc., in the island and in the diaspora, against the real protagonists sabotaging the Tamil cause, before fearing recurrence of violence.

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