Today, we come together to solemnly commemorate and pay respect to the Tamils who tragically lost their lives during the Tamil genocide 15 years ago on this date.
The Tamil genocide represents one of the most horrific and underreported tragedies of the 21st century. An estimated 70,000 to 140,000 Tamil civilians perished during the final few months of the war perpetrated by the Sri Lankan armed forces. Entire families were wiped out. Unspeakable atrocities were committed – Executions, Mass killings, Sexual violence, Torture, forced disappearance, and indiscriminate shelling of civilians and hospitals took place with impunity. The impacts of the conflict have left profound and lasting scars within the Tamil community, both in the homeland and across the global diaspora. It is a widely held principle that all ethnic communities should be able to pursue self-determination. We see this principle in action among Tamil ethnic communities in Tamil Nadu and Tamil Eelam. Despite facing different challenges such as varying external environments, forms of oppression, methods of resistance, and levels of public support, the ultimate goal remains consistent: ethnic liberation.
In the mid-1970s, the younger generation of Eelam Tamils, finding themselves with no alternative, took up arms. With the support of Tamil Nadu and India, they successfully seized control of the North and Eastern regions of the island. Following the September 11 attacks, the US adopted the “War on Terror” paradigm, leading to the suppression of numerous liberation movements across Asia and beyond. This system and its propaganda, label armed militants as extremists and terrorists, claiming their only expertise lies in destruction, thus denying their pursuit of self-determination and justice. It predominantly supported state actors. However, the liberation struggle in Tamil Eelam emerged as a paradigmatic force for waging a national liberation war.
The pinnacle accomplishment of an armed liberation struggle is the control and administration of the territory. The Tamil Eelam Armed force had achieved that and was controlling a de facto nation. This achievement was solely feasible through the cooperation and support of the Tamil populace in Eelam. As we understand, no national liberation movement can prosper without the widespread participation and support of the people.
The demarcated borders and governance of the region fell under the control of the Tamil Eelam armed forces. The nation began constructing the necessary civil structures for a conventional nation to be recognized by the international community. Norway, in brokering the peace process, only acknowledges the existence of two sovereign nations and territories controlled by two distinct governments.
It has been 15 years since the bloody genocide in Sri Lanka, many Tamil youngsters from Tamil Nadu and the diaspora were uncompromisingly working to document the evidence of Genocide in the local and international institutions. while the Indian establishment was thrusting the 13th amendment as a proposed solution, which advocates only devolving power to the provincial level, the international bodies were promoting reconciliation and lessons learnt commissions.
Sri Lankan politicians and bureaucrats navigated the situation effectively, outmaneuvering the stances taken by the Indian government and Western nations. The reality seems to be that the Indian state did not have a genuine interest in an independent Tamil Eelam state. Its portrayed support for Tamil Eelam independence was likely more of a posturing tactic to assert regional military dominance in South Asia.
The foreign policy of the Indian Union government needs to be re-evaluated and alternative viable options should be considered. The situation has potential implications for the security of Tamil Nadu, as there are concerns that external forces from other Asian countries and Western nations could try to take advantage of tensions in the Indian Ocean region.
There are concerns that some religious extremist elements have connections to right-wing terror groups and that they are working to sow discord between the Tamils of Tamil Nadu and Tamil Eelam through disinformation campaigns, false promises, and exploiting religious differences. It is important for Tamils to remain vigilant against such divisive forces and their attempts to create rifts within the community. There have been criticisms against international bodies, such as the United Nations and its affiliated treaty bodies, for their ineffectiveness in preventing instances of genocide worldwide, raising doubts about their fundamental purpose. Additionally, allegations have surfaced suggesting the complicity of certain UN personnel in atrocities committed against Tamils during the Sri Lankan civil war. Charles Petrie, a former UN diplomat, chaired the Secretary-General’s Internal Review Panel on United Nations Action in Sri Lanka, and produced a report detailing the “systemic failure” of United Nations action during the Final Stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War. The report highlighted issues such as the withdrawal of UN staff and underscored the necessity for internal reforms and restructuring within the UN system to address such failures.
Despite ongoing efforts of the Tamil Nadu and Eelam communities at the UN seeking justice for the 2009 genocide, justice remains elusive. Tragically, the noble national struggle has been paused by the pursuit of accountability from those accountable for the atrocities. Our fight is for our fundamental rights, not for division, but for self-determination. We seek autonomy as equals, not as subjects. What we demand is our freedom. The freedom of the Tamil people, whose heritage spans millennia. We aspire to the freedom to establish a government that upholds our sovereignty, free from external influence. Therefore, this year, we pledge to establish an independent sovereign state for the Tamils.
Thank You