Communist Party of India leader D. Raja on Wednesday termed the alleged cold-blooded killing of LTTE chief V. Prabakaran’s minor son further proof that the war in Sri Lanka was nothing but a “structural genocide” against the Tamil people. He demanded that India vote against Sri Lanka at the coming UNHRC session.
He was addressing a press conference here along with the former Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, Rajinder Sachar, and representatives of May 17 Movement, an organisation to fight for the cause of Sri Lankan Tamils.
Mr. Raja said, “Justice should be done to the Tamils of Sri Lanka and India cannot keep quiet. If we cannot rise to the occasion, we cannot claim to be a civilised nation with commendable ethics.”
India, he said, should demand an international investigation into the alleged human rights violations by Sri Lanka in the last phase of the civil war. “The pictures of the 12-year-old boy murdered in cold blood, published in newspapers, are evidence of the human rights violations committed in Sri Lanka. This is not a question of Tamil people but a question of a human being.”
Concurring with the view that it was not a “question of only Tamil people,” Mr. Sachar said the matter needed to be taken up as top priority as it was a “golden opportunity to expose Sri Lanka” for all the human rights violations. “It would be a tactical mistake by India if it does not support the resolution against Sri Lanka next month.” India should not only vote against the Sri Lankan government but also convince other countries to follow suit.
Referring to the shocking facts revealed in the United Nation’s Internal Review Panel Report, known as the ‘Petrie Report,’ and another independent inquiry conducted by writer Julian Vigo, poet Malathi Maithri said the U.N. officials who acted in complicity with the “genocidal regime” should be held accountable.
The other demand included the setting up of an independent body by the member states of the U.N. to monitor the rehabilitation process launched by Sri Lanka, said Valarmathi, a representative of the May 17 Movement.
Published - February 21, 2013 02:14 am IST
