HR 139: 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 & 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 3 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 wounded at a slow phase. 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 Tamil population and so called concentration camps.

 

Why none of the western countries are 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 1000 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 in1940. 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