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British Tamils Forum
War Crimes against Eelam Tamils - Mullivaikal Remembrance Day
EVENT DETAILS: War Crimes against Eelam Tamils - Mullivaikal Remembrance Day ; DATE: Tuesday, 18 May 2010 ; VENUE: Parliament Square
TIME: 4pm-8pm ; (Nearest Tube: Westminster)

“As many as 40,000 civilians could have been killed during the final stages of the Sri Lankan civil war” – Former UN spokesperson in Sri Lanka, Gordon Weiss, ABC, 9 Feb 2010

“An average of 1,000 civilian deaths every day.” - The Times, UK, 29 May 2009

Dear Sir/Madam,
British Tamils will be joining the global Tamil Diaspora to remember the victims of the final offensive by the Sri Lankan forces last year that resulted in up to 40,000 Tamils being killed and leaving over 280,000 incarcerated in ‘concentration camps’ in North-East Sri Lanka. One year on… Tamils unite to call for justice for the victims of war crimes in Sri Lanka.

Background
On May 18, 2009, the Government of Sri Lanka declared victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) with little mention of the Tamil civilian catastrophe of the final onslaught.

Forced to retreat by Sri Lankan Army (SLA) offensive operations, hundreds of thousands of Tamil civilians were herded into a narrow strip of land on the North-Eastern coast of Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan forces repeatedly and indiscriminately shelled areas densely populated with civilians using heavy weaponry. The government unilaterally declared “no-fire zones” on three different occasions, urging civilians to seek shelter there and then continued bombardment of these “Safe zones”. Government forces also fired artillery that directly struck or landed near hospitals on too many occasions.

There has been increasing media evidence of torture, summary executions, rape and sexual violence, and of food and water being used as a weapon of war against civilians by the Sri Lankan military.

A US State Department report mandated to detail incidents during the recent conflict in Sri Lanka that may constitute violations of international humanitarian law or crimes against humanity was published on 22 October 2009 raising further calls for an independent investigation into war crimes.

After the war ended, President Mahinda Rajapaksa signed a joint statement with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon promising that the government would take measures to address allegations related to violations of international humanitarian and human-rights law but no substantive steps have been taken since.

On May 6, 2010, the Sri Lankan government announced that it will establish a commission to report on the lessons learned from the conflict and reconciliation efforts following mounting pressure from Secretary General Ban. Sri Lanka has established at least 10 such commissions to deflect international criticism, none of which have produced any significant results.

"Every time the international community raises the issue of accountability, Sri Lanka establishes a commission that takes a long time to achieve nothing… Ban should put an end to this game of smoke and mirrors and begin a process that would ensure justice for all the victims of Sri Lanka's war." – Brad Adams, HRW, 7 May 2010

"In 2007-8, I was a member of an independent international advisory group observing Sri Lanka's investigation of human rights violations dating from 2006. I concluded that the government lacked the political will to hold accountable the perpetrators of these egregious crimes. When the United Nations secretary-general said this month that he is considering naming a commission of experts to 'assist the government' of Sri Lanka to look at evidence its soldiers committed war crimes last year, my reaction was a chilling feeling of déjà-vu." - Arthur E. Dewey, former assistant secretary of state for population, refugees and migration, Foreign Policy In Focus, 26 January 2010

We hope that you will be able to attend this forthcoming event and provide the coverage it warrants. Your presence will do a great deal to support growing calls for an independent international investigation into war crimes in Sri Lanka.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any further information regarding the event or other related matters. Please visit our website at www.tamilsforum.com for further information on our campaigns, activities and objectives.

Thank you for your time.

Yours faithfully,
BTF Media Team
British Tamils Forum
Email: media@tamilsforum.com
Tel: +44(0)20 8808 3224
www.tamilsforum.com

"working together for peace with justice and dignity"
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