The Weekend Leader - Tune of freedom

Rudra downplays the US resolution at UNHRC and speaks of freedom charter for Tamil Eelam

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Radhika Giri   |   Chennai

18-March-2013

Vol 4 | Issue 11

V Rudrakumaran, Prime Minister of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE), Monday downplayed the US resolution on Sri Lanka in the United Nations Human Rights Council and announced plans to prepare a freedom charter for Eelam.

"Any word falling short of genocide will not help Tamils. Words like human rights violation, war crimes will not help. The call of freedom can be taken forward only by pressing the case of genocide in the Island," he said, speaking to journalists in Chennai via teleconference from the US. The TGTE leader supported moves to strengthen the US resolution.

Rudrakumaran expressed concern about safety of Eelam Tamils

Rudrakumaran said that he was in appreciation of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, J Jayalalithaa's strong stand on the issue as well as the stand of the DMK chief, M Karunanidhi that his party would walk out of the UPA alliance if the DMK's demand for an amended US resolution is not met.

He said he was hopeful of a stronger US resolution on Sri Lanka. He said the TGTE had condemned the first US resolution itself and even brought out a book titled "We accuse war crimes, genocide."

Asked about his view on the demand made in Tamil Nadu for formation of an interim administration for Tamil areas in Sri Lanka outside the framework of the Lankan constitution, Rudrakumaran said he was in agreement with the demand but felt that the immediate requirement was an international security mechanism to give the Tamil people a feeling of security in Sri Lanka.

Stating that there were different mechanisms involving the UN that could include the UN Security Council presence, he said they were also considering diplomatic presence of various countries.

"We feel international presence in Jaffna in the form of foreign offices of different nations would keep the Tamil people safe," he said.

Asked if the TGTE might lobby with India directly, Rudrakumaran ruled it out and said that he was pinning his hopes on the civil society and the political parties in Tamil Nadu to put pressure on the Indian government to change its stance on Tamil issues in Sri Lanka.

He said that there was no political space in Sri Lanka for Tamils to voice their grievances of Tamils, and said that the freedom call for Tamil Eelam has moved beyond the confines of Eelam Tamils.

He said freedom for Tamil Eelam has become the call of Tamil people all over the world, including those in Tamil Eelam, Tamil Nadu and the Diaspora.

Noting that the TGTE is actively lobbying with European civil society, he said that India by its position of being a regional and emerging international power was being looked at by the other nations to take the first call on bringing justice for Tamils in Sri Lanka.

Observing that the protests in Tamil Nadu had energized Tamils everywhere, he said it had united dissenting voices in the diaspora.

On their future plans, Rudrakumaran said they planned to bring out a freedom charter based on the Vaddukoddai resolution, which was the first call for freedom for Eelam after the British left Sri Lanka.

The charter would be a political working draft to move towards freedom for Eelam.

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