Email to the Committee from Chelliah Selvathasan
I am a Tamil born in Sri Lanka now a British
citizen since 1992. I am living in Pinner. Today Tamil people
in Sri Lanka (North and East) are subjected to human rights abuse,
abduction and extra judicial killing by their own government forces
and their proxies all over Sri Lanka. Especially in the North
over the last three months they were subjected to aerial bombardment,
indiscriminate shelling by artillery and multi barrel rocket launchers.
These are used by their own government against their own people.
Each day there are 50-100 people dead and 200-300 people injured.
250,000 people are cornered to safe zone and they are bombing
this safe zone each day. There is no medicine or food available
for these people. None of the international agencies are allowed
to operate in these areas. Only the Red Cross is helping to evacuate
the wounded at a slow pace. Even people who escaped from this
area are put under internment camps and not allowed to see their
relatives or even their own MPs. Young women and men are raped
and murdered in these camps. It is well known in the Tamil population
and so-called concentration camps.
Why are none of the western countries not doing anything
towards this human suffering. We Tamils are highly educated and
very hard working people. We only want to live peacefully in our
own land. Our children want to play and laugh in their own places.
If you think it is unreasonable to ask then it is pointless to
talk about democracy and human rights. We Tamils have a different
language living in the North & East of Sri Lanka for more
than 1,000 years. We had separate kingdoms before British rule.
When British ruled they combined the country into one for admin
purposes. When they left in 1948 they left the country with Majority
people. We Tamils are paying the price since 1948 by Majority
people.
Today I am writing to tell my people's story,
asking your intervention with the Foreign Secretary and the United
Nations to stop this war immediately and allow humanitarian aid
agencies to function in this area without further delay.
What is happening to Tamils in Sri Lanka is
worse than what happened to Jewish people in Germany in 1940.
In the name of humanity please help these innocent civilians to
save their lives. We are also human beings. We don't have a nation
that is only reason no one, not a single country, is helping us.
Dear parliamentarians, I have every confidence
that you all will raise this issue with relevant people and give
some light to Tamil people in the world. Please remember we are
a peace loving people.
27 March 2009
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