The month of May and the dates of 17th, 18th & 19th takes us back to the horror spectacle of a genocidal war against the Tamil population of Sri Lanka in the year 2009. It is these three days that will remain to haunt the survivors in the north of Sri Lanka, which brought an end to the three decades of Guerilla v/s State Military conflict in which more than 150,000 Tamils were killed and countless maimed, and made homeless, landless and were made to flee the region and the country itself. In the hindsight one can criticise or eulogise the leadership of the Guerilla forces or their military tactics, but what is grotesque and most shameful is the fact that the entire establishments of the so called “civilised world”, showed absolute apathy to the carnage of humans that was carried out by the Racist, Communal Buddhist regime in Sri Lanka led by Mahinda Rajapakse.
Year after year the Tamils world over, remember these days of May 2009 to seek justice to the Tamils in Sri Lanka and fight in solidarity for their Nationality Rights. The forces of Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI) with which New Socialist Alternative (CWI-India) is politically affiliated have been in the forefront internationally to to seek justice. In co-operation with the May17 movement of Tamil Nadu which is holding a Candle Light Vigil on the19th of May at Marina Beach, Chennai in commemoration of the Genocidal War and in remembrance of the innocent victims and martyrs, the following statement is brought out as a leaflet (The Tamil printed version will be distributed at the event) explaining the ideas of CWI and New Socialist Alternative (CWI-India)
Editors
socialism.in
Keep Up the Mass Pressure
Down with the Communal Sri Lankan Regime
Defend the Nationality Rights of Tamils in Sri Lanka
It is four years now, since our brothers and sisters in the north of Sri Lanka were brutally killed in the genocidal war. Lakhs of innocent and defense less Tamil young and old, men and women were mowed to death in the demonic war conducted by the Sinhala chauvinist, communal buddhist regime of Sri Lanka led by Mahinda Rajapakse Inc., which was covertly and overtly supported and executed by the ruling regimes of India, China, Japan, Pakistan, Israel, UK and above all the Imperialist USA.
While the blatantly right wing and communal regime in Sri Lanka is struggling to paint a picture of normalcy to the outside world with all the fanfare and the facade of being a elected democracy, but the recent events of Channel 4 exposés and the pictures of the kid Balachandran subjected to such inhuman torture and death has indeed shaken the conscience of even those hitherto sitting on the fence.
Even the foreign powers who unabashedly bought the regime’s cooked-up stories under the pretext of ‘War on Terror’ have been pushed by the mass pressure of the people to mouth concerns against abuse of human rights in the island country. Literally a variety of skeletons from the closet of Mahinda’s dictatorial regime is falling by the day, highlighting the stinking nature of the regime and the war machine there.
The rise of Bodu Bala Sena, pampered and promoted by the Rajapakse regime has gone on an unleash of communal attacks on the Tamil Speaking Muslims, their businesses and properties indicates the further descent in to communal barbarism in the Island. The recent invoking of Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) clause against a Tamil Muslim Political Activist; Azath Salley (former Deputy Mayor of Colombo) is another grim reminder of how fragile is the frame work of human rights in that country.
Build the Mass Struggle
Even though it was a farce of an exercise played by the toothless United Nations, to dangle the UNHRC resolution against the War Criminal regime of Sri Lanka, nevertheless a reverberating movement of the Student Youth of Tamil Nadu shook the powers to the extent of creating a furore in the Indian Parliament, resulting in the exit of the opportunist DMK from the Congress led UPA coalition.
Every single establishment political party in Tamilnadu has been exposed through this unprecedented mass youth upsurge. While both AIADMK and DMK have resorted to competitive posturing, nevertheless all the opportunists have been totally debunked. Above all even the resolution at the UNHRC is a product of the relentless mass pressure that has been built around the world indicting the Mahinda Rajapake’s regime of heinous war crimes.
The forces such as the Tamil Solidarity campaign & May 17 movement and others have been earnestly building mass democratic pressure both with in India and abroad amongst the people and the Tamil diaspora. The set back and the disarray caused by the military defeat of the rebellion is beginning to wane, the new determined youth world over have actively participated in the struggles to expose the chauvinist and racist regime of Mahinda.
Class Unity is the Key
Nothing less than a mass democratic pressure built on an international scale led by the working people of all nationalities can bring justice to our Tamil brethren in Sri Lanka. The New Socialist Alternative (CWI-India) and the forces of Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI) in over 45 countries have been in the forefront of such efforts. United Socialist Party (CWI- Sri Lanka) has a heroic record of defending Tamils and fighting unequivocally for the Right of Self Determination of Tamils including separation, while totally defending the democratic rights of all the minorities.
From the days of the brutal genocidal war, the forces of CWI are on an relentless efforts to bring justice to the oppressed Tamils in Sri Lanka through their campaigning efforts. New Socialist Alternative & CWI are in total solidarity with the International campaign; Tamil Solidarity– for the Rights of workers and all oppressed people in Sri Lanka.
End the oppressive system of Capitalism
Seeking justice to the brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka is no longer an issue which is isolated and far removed from the struggles of immediate concern, be it Kudankulam, atrocities on Daliths and Adivasis or land and livelihood issues. All these issues point us in the direction of the task of replacing the oppressive Capitalist system.
While commending the May 17 movement in Tamil Nadu for its relentless efforts to keep up the mass pressure and galvanise the youth to take to the road of mass democratic struggle to seek justice to the war ravaged Eelam Tamils, the New Socialist Alternative (CWI-India) fully stands by the struggle of the Tamil people and demands:
- An independent war crimes investigation
- Withdraw the troops
- No to detention camps Stop Arming Sri Lankan regime
- Democratic rights for all
- Stop Ethnic Cleansing
- Support independent and militant trade unions among the Tea Plantation Workers
- Defend the right to self-determination
- Support the struggle of all oppressed nationalities
- Better condition for Tamil refugees Remove private interests and corruption
- End the caste grip
- Land to the landless.