The international community must ensure justice for war crimes, provide a political settlement for Tamils and investigate claims of genocide against the Tamil people, said the Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran in a statement read out at Monday's remembrance event in Mullivaikkal. "We are obliged to remember those who passed away during the war. It cannot be denied that the said sad incident laid the foundation for the International Community to become aware of our predicament and this delineated our future political course, "Six years have passed. Proper particulars of those who passed away during the said period are still to be ascertained. A transparent and honest mechanism to inquire into and report as to the identity of the perpetrators is still to be put into place. All this has created much heartache among the Tamil people," he said. Noting that justice and political settlement for Tamils had been delayed over the course of decades, Sri Lanka’s former Supreme Court Chief Justice, Mr Wigneswaran, added, that countless Sri Lankan leaders pledge to solve the issues of the Tamil people when taking up office and then fail to deliver. "Every time UN Human Rights’ Council have their meeting and the Tamils on their part expect positive results, ultimately there are only delays and postponements Delayed Justice is denied Justice. It is our view that the International Community must do everything within their purview to procure Justice for those innocents who passed away during the last stages of the war, "It is not punishment only for the perpetrators which we seek. Truth must be told. That is why our Northern Provincial Council passed the Resolution on Genocide unanimously and made the world take note of what has actually happened," the chief minister stated. "Whenever new leaders take office in Sri Lanka they are full of positive platitudes to promote peace and plenty. They undertake solemnly to solve the problems of the Tamil speaking peoples early. As time goes on they change. Problems of the Tamils are furthest from their minds. This has been the case hitherto. This must not be left to continue," Mr Wigneswaran continued. Mr Wigneswaran went on to outline cases of state sponsored colonisation to change the demographic makeup of the Tamil speaking North-East and explained that the unanimously passed Northern Provincial Council resolution on the genocide was intended to make the international community aware of such processes. "We have been denied resolution of our problems continually by the major political leaders from the majority community. They have been delaying and denying the Tamils of their legitimate rights. On the other hand they have been taking steps to change the demographic pattern in the Northern and Eastern Provinces by colonising those areas with members from the majority community," he said. The Chief Minister of the Northern Province ended by urging the new Sri Lankan government to work towards bringing justice and a political settlement that included maximum power devolution for the Tamil people. "The environment is now much more positive. Without delay we must work towards the all important goal of maximum devolution for the Tamil speaking people. Delay would change the dimensions of the problem further. The Government together with the International Community must come to a decision regarding the political aspirations of the Tamil speaking peoples. This in turn could usher in peace and dignity among the various communities in Sri Lanka," the chief minister concluded. The chief minister's statement can be viewed in Tamil and Sinhala.
Photograph: Tamil Guardian
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