The Global Tamil Forum urged the new Sri Lankan government on Thursday to address the concerns of the war-affected Tamil people, stating that "unfortunately, the record of the government to-date, in addressing most pressing Tamil and other minority issues has been somewhat disappointingly slow."

"A sense of despair is slowly creeping up among sections of the Tamil population, particularly among those who have been displaced from their land, or kept imprisoned for years, or lost loved ones during the war and waiting for justice, or those still searching for their missing relatives," the GTF said in a statement, acknowledging however, what the group described as "the mammoth task the government faces in several fronts and its notable achievements within a two month period."

"Nevertheless, we are also concerned that any delay in addressing the Tamil problem can only give scope for hard-line attitudes from all sides to re-emerge, and this will make the task of achieving meaningful progress more difficult in the future."

"In this context, it is important that the government immediately takes meaningful steps to address a few pressing issues that includes reducing the excessive military presence in the North and East, transferring the land back to the rightful owners from whom the land was expropriated, and releasing Tamil political detainees who have been incarcerated for years without ever being charged. It is also important that the government makes public commitment to comprehensively address the war crimes and reconciliation issues in active collaboration with the UNHRC, and reveal its blueprint to achieve a political solution by negotiating with the elected Tamil representatives."

See full statement here.