20 June 2011,
The Communist Party of India (CPI) in its National Council Meeting at New Delhi on 18-19 June, passed a resolution, demanding the Indian government to take into account the resolution passed by the Tamil Nadu State Assembly on war crimes investigation and economic sanctions against Sri Lanka. Accusing Sri Lanka Army for violation of human rights, state terrorism and perpetration of mass murder of Tamil population in the island, the CPI demanded India to facilitate open enquiry on war crimes and resettlement of Tamils in their own places as well as media entry to monitor Indian aided rehabilitation.
The party’s national council decided to observe July 8 as “All India Solidarity with Sri Lankan Tamils Day” to press for peaceful political settlement to the ethnic conflict and appealed to other left and democratic parties to join.
The CPI demonstration for solidarity with Tamils in the island is likely to take place at least in 25 state capitals in India, sources close to the CPI said.
Eezham Tamil political circles in the island and in the diaspora welcomed the all India initiative of the CPI as a timely move.
However they were sad over CPI projecting their identity to Indian masses as ‘Sri Lankan’ Tamils, an identity they had rejected at the very inception of it in 1972. They were also sad over the symbolic denial of their nation in the island by terming them as ‘linguistic minorities from the Island Nation’.
Full text of the resolution passed by the National Council of the Communist Party of India in New Delhi follows:
COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA
National Council Meeting: 18-19, June, 2011
New Delhi.
Resolution:
ON SRILANKAN TAMILS
The Communist Party of India demands the government of India to take note of the serious revelations about the mass murder perpetrated by the Sri Lankan army on Tamilpopulation during the last phase of the long drawn ethnic strife that had been going on as a civil war in Sri Lanka – which was declared as won by the Sri Lanka government in the year 2009, on May 19th at Mullaitheevu area.
Videographed information regarding the sad episode at Mullaitheevu, where 45,000,Tamil speaking civilians had been enmasse massacred through serial bombing, and cluster bombs in utter disregard to international law and ethics. Thereby the Srilankan army had violated human rights and had indulged in state terrorism.
As the Srilankan authorities had banned the entry of print and electronic media, including the UN Observers and the Norwegian Peace Promoting Team, this heinous crime against the innocent civilians could come only now from voluntary investigating organisations.The recent revelations with authentic documentary evidence, prove that there had been a planned attack to physically eliminate the linguistic miniorities from the Island Nation.
As the reports reveal most inhuman treatment meted out even to the injured citizens, a worldwide demand for a fair, open trial to find out the real culprits and render justice to the unpitied victims who have been killed for no fault of theirs has come to the fore.Hence the CPI demands the Central Government to take appropriate steps to support and facilitate for an open enquiry into the war crimes alleged to have taken place in Srilanka,
in the month of May, 2009. Even though the Srilankan government has announced as the war against terrorism won and ended yet from 2009 till this date, Lakhs of displaced Tamil civilians are kept inrehabilitation camps, which is a clear illegal detention. Hence the government of India, is requested to impress upon the Srilanka to dismantle the
camps and release all the detained Tamilians to return to their native places and also permit the media to enter Srilanka to collect information about the Indian aided rehabilitation projects.
The CPI demands the government of India to consider and take it into account the Tamilnadu State Assembly Resolutions passed unanimously, on 7.6.2011.
The CPI resolves to observe All India Solidarity with Srilankan Tamils Day on 8th July 2011 to demand justice to the Srilankan Tamils and to press for peaceful political settlement to the ethnic conflict in Srilanka. It appeals to other Left and democratic Parties and forces to join in observing the day.
In this regard CPI decides to send a delegation to meet the Prime Minister to present the case for an open trial and for peaceful political solution to Srilankan Tamil question and to discharge the moral responsibility of India.
TN