Email to the Committee from Esan Satkunarajah
APPEAL YOU
TO PREVENT
ANOTHER RWANDA IN
SRI LANKA
I am very much aware that our government is
consistently taking measures to end this worst humanitarian crisis
unfolding in Sri Lanka peacefully without further loss of innocent
lives and limbs.
Since my last e-mail to you, the loss of lives and
limbs of Tamil civilians including children have increased and
I feel so helpless that I am unable to help my brothers, sisters,
mothers, fathers, children who are suffering immensely just because
they were born as Tamils in Sri Lanka, I feel so powerless because
I am unable to expose the worse state terror unleashed against
my people in Vanni and other parts of Sri Lanka. I am so saddened
of the fact that Sri Lanka openly and arrogantly ignores the international
community's including our government's repeated calls for the
immediate cease fire in Sri Lanka and continuing to make the world
to silently watch these gruesome and horrendous crimes against
humanity in Sri Lanka.
What Tamils in the Vanni, northern Sri Lanka have
done to deserve these subhuman sufferings in the hands of majority
Sinhalese armed forces and supposedly democratic Sri Lankan government
which is boasting around the world capitals as they do care for
the Tamil children in Sri Lanka? Every day at least 40 to 50 civilians
are paying with their dear lives and another 40 to 50 civilians
paying with the limbs of Sri Lanka's genocidal war against Tamils.
As you are also quite aware, since 20 January, over 2,800 civilians
were killed and over 7,000 injured according to UNHRC. The UNICEF
also said hundreds of children were killed thousands more wounded
within past two months alone.
Thousands of Tamil civilians who crossed into
the government controlled area due to indiscriminate shelling
by the government forces on the "Safe Zone" were put
into many concentration camps and they are living in subhuman
conditions without even basic facilities. Horror stories are coming
out from these camps are so frightening, as young female inmates
of these concentration camps are being used as sex slaves for
the Sri Lankan forces, pregnant women were forced to undergo illegal
abortions by the Sri Lankan forces and young males are being separated
from their families and taken to torture camps and after the tortures
in most cases many of these males are being massacred.
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/03/31/the_silence_surrounding_sri_lanka/
I earnestly urge you to continuously use your
good office to prevent another Rwanda in Sri Lanka, push both
warring parties in Sri Lanka to agree for an immediate and permanent
UN sponsored cease fire, unhindered access to the hundreds of
thousands of displaced people in the war zone area and a peaceful,
durable and meaningful solution based on Tamils' right to self-determination
via negotiation.
Please see these links:
http://www.alertnet.org/db/blogs/57630/2009/03/2-103102-1.htm
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N26514085.htm
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/03/31/the_silence_surrounding_sri_lanka/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/23/srilanka-tigers-humanitarian-crisis
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/03/04/sri-lanka-urgently-evacuate-civilians
http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/03/05/asia/lanka.php
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7922096.stm
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/ASAZ-7PUERJ?OpenDocument
3 April 2009
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