The spokesman and the letter state, "The Tamils will
not consent to being wiped away."
The Tamils for Obama spokesman explained that the
group usually uses the term "Ethnic cleansing" when they
are talking about activities that the U.N. considers
genocide. "'Ethnic cleansing' is a more accurate and
less shocking way of saying genocide," he said. "We use
'Ethnic cleansing' so that people will keep on reading."
"Ethnic cleansing," as the Tamils for Obama letter
explains, "usually involves persecuting a minority until
they feel unsafe in the country, and leave. Before the
civil war began in Sri Lanka, this campaign included
nation-wide race riots directed at Tamils, stripping
Tamils of their political rights and protections,
uprooting Tamils from areas in which they have lived for
millennium, and encouraging Singhalese to move into the
vacated homes, and illegitimating Tamil language and
culture. During the civil war the campaign included
making war on the Tamil civilian population using both
military and paramilitary forces. In 2009 alone, between
20,000 and 70,000 Tamil civilians were killed by the Sri
Lankan government."
He cited a paragraph in the letter to the president:
"'Ethnic cleansing' is a euphemism for the state
terrorism and genocide that are practiced by states like
Sri Lanka. It is bad enough where it occurs; but we must
also consider the destabilizing effects it has on
neighboring countries and the coarsening effects on the
countries like ours which allow it to happen. The United
States must recognize that the genocide of the Tamils is
of interest to all of us. We urge that you appoint a
special envoy to deal with this problem. It will not go
away by itself."
"The 300,000 Tamils currently trapped in the
government's 'welfare camps' are alleged to be victims
of widespread kidnapping, rape, disappearances, and
other phenomena consistent with the government's ethnic
cleansing policy," said the spokesman. "In 1948, Tamils
were over 30 percent of the population of Ceylon, as the
country was then called. They are now under 18 percent
of the population. Colombo's ethnic cleansing campaign
appears to be working."
The Sri Lankan government has always tried to keep
their actions out of the view of the world, said the
Tamils for Obama spokesperson. He quoted the letter to
President Obama: "That international media and
humanitarian organizations are kept out of the camps and
other areas into which Tamil IDPs have been driven is
also consistent with the government's policy, to which
they want no witnesses."
To read the letter go to: www.Tamilsforobama.com/letters/Letter_Prez_june_2009.html
Tamils are an ethnic group living mainly in the
northeast of Sri Lanka and southern India. During the
final weeks of the recent civil war, the Sri Lankan
government killed about 1,000 Tamil civilians per day,
according to the United Nations, and about 30,000 in
2009. Tamils are a minority population in Sri Lanka, and
have borne the brunt of a civil war they regard as
genocide. One-third of the Tamil population has fled the
island and formed a substantial diaspora overseas.
Tamils for Obama is comprised of Tamils who have settled
in the U.S. or who were born in the U.S.
To contact the group, call at (617) 765- 4394 and
speak to, or leave a message for, the Communication
Director, Tamils for Obama.
www.TamilsForObama.com
