New govt. reminded of the old challenge in Mullivaikkal
A Tamil Nationalist political party has reminded the newly-elected Sri Lankan government of the challenges that the latter must face when it comes to the serious allegations of human rights violations during the final stages of the war, for which justice is yet to be served.
Speaking at Mullivaikkal, where tens of thousands of people lost their lives during the final phase of the brutal civil war that came to a bloody end, The Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) has vowed to intensify efforts to take Sri Lanka to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, leader of the TNPF who won the recent parliament election from Jaffna with 15,135 votes, was speaking at the ‘genocidal memorial’ at Mullaivaikkaal
“We will intensify our efforts to gather the full support of the people for an international criminal investigation, especially to bring Sri Lanka before the International Criminal Court (ICC), and also to take Sri Lanka to all such international forums capable of conducting international investigations. Our March towards those will gain momentum”.
Paying tributes to the war dead after his election he stressed upon the work to be done in the next five years to win the rights of the Tamil people. On 19 November (Tuesday), TNPF Leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam along with a group of TNPF supporters, including former MP Selvarajah Kajendran lit lamps and offered flowers at the memorial as a tribute to those killed during the war.
International Human Rights Organizations and groups accuse the Sri Lankan government led by the Rajapaksa brothers of allegedly committing gross human rights violations including crimes against humanity.
The new NPP government under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake secured a brutal two-thirds majority in the Parliament election.
Another newly elected MP from Vanni, Thurairasa Raviharan also paid tributes at the Mullivaikkaal memorial. He won as the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) candidate Thurairasa Raviharan, securing 11,215 votes.
The TNPF leader while speaking at Mullivaikkaal recalled how his party has been pushing for an ICC investigation over the past 15 years into the ‘genocide’ in Mullavaikkal. He further recalled how his party pointed out the weaknesses of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), as it let down the international community and the war-affected Tamils.
Gajendrakumar Ponnambal a strong Tamil nationalist MP told local journalists, that despite the Sri Lankan government and its tri-forces being given 15 years to address the issues regarding alleged war crimes and genocide, no such criminal investigation has ever been conducted and his efforts to intensify the same will gain further speed now.
Adding further he emphasized that the TNPF would take serious steps to reject the concept of a unitary state and advocate for a federal solution that ensures full self-determination rights along with sovereignty to endure full freedom.
“Moving forward, our party will act very decisively to convey to the world the message that we can move forward only through a federal solution that allows us to exercise our self-determination rights fully and by rejecting the concept of a unitary state.”
Following the Parliament election victory, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) General Secretary Tilvin Silva stated that Provincial Councils (PC) will not be abolished until a fairer solution is presented.
The JVP is the leading party in the NPP government, which has the power to amend the Constitution.
