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Eelam Tamils 'will resist subjugation' - BTF

The British Tamils Forum speech at the third Mullivaikal remembrance event in London on 19th May 2012.

Ladies and Gentlemen

We are gathered here to remember the Tamil people, who were massacred by the Sinhala state, three years ago, in Mullivaaikkaal. More than 147,000 of our people disappeared from the face of this earth in that genocidal war that ended on 18th May 2009. It was a war without witnesses – so believed the Sri Lankan state. We now have video-graphic, photographic and satellite evidence, as well as eye witness accounts to show how our people were made to disappear.

Today as we are gathered here to remember and to remind the world what was inflicted on our people, they are subjected to untold atrocities by the Sinhala state.

The Hindus who perform annual rites and the Christians who perform remembrance services for their dead relatives are threatened with death, if they dared remember them. Priests in the temples and churches have been sent death threats by the Sinhala military if they conduct any poojas or services in memory of the dead.

Yesterday a Student leader in Jaffna University was brutally attacked and is in hospital, fighting for his life as he went to address a remembrance event in the University.

It is in this climate of unbridled state terrorism by the Sri Lankan state, we are gathered here. To remind ourselves; to remind the world, that we will not forget what was done to our people. We will not abandon our people. We will not let the international community abandon our people.

Today, those who survived the massacre are being persecuted and fleeing the island daily. The Sinhala state is occupying our land with its all Sinhala military. There is 1 Sinhala soldier for every 7 Tamil civilians in our Homeland. Our women, 80,000 of them widowed in the war are living in constant fear from the occupying alien military. Rape, murder, “White van” abductions, torture and disappearances are common place.

Our farmers have been driven out of their lands which are occupied by Sinhala farmers. Our fishermen have been prevented from returning to their coastal villages which are now occupied by Sinhala fishermen. Our traders and retailers have been denied their livelihoods by the military run businesses.

The Sinhala agenda is plain to see. Make it difficult for the Tamils to live in their ancestral homeland. By constantly terrorising them and denying their livelihood make them flee the island. Deter those who are inclined to come back by harassing and murdering the ones who return.

Last week’s murder of the Canadian businessman who returned to reclaim his land and property in his ancestral village is no isolated incident. It is a calculated brutal message by the Sinhala state.

Stopping our people from returning to their original homes is part of a scheme to destroy our traditional homeland. Dispersing our people from the north and east, colonising our land with Sinhala settlers and the Sinhala military are parts of this scheme.

Once our homeland is destroyed the Tamils will have nowhere to run when the next pogrom is unleashed against our people. Last month, on the 14th of April, the Tamil New Year’s Day, 7 houses of Tamil people, in Galle, were set ablaze by a Sinhala mob. It only took one minor incident to spark off this attack by the Sinhalese on the Tamil people. The incident; a brave Tamil youth refused to address as “Sir” a Sinhala soldier in civvies.

The Tamils, the ancient people of that island, will not accept servitude in their own land. They will resist subjugation. The Sinhalese will respond with violence and murder. It won’t be long before another “Black July 1983” revisits the Tamil people. The Sinhala state will use the opportunity to rid the island, of more Tamils.

We are facing an existential threat in our own land. We need to focus all our energies to deal with this threat. We cannot let our people be massacred on the streets and in their houses again. We have no time to lose in squabbling between us when our land is being gobbled up and our people are being trampled upon by the Sinhala state.

The UN stood by while our people were massacred in 2009. It will continue to give time to the Sri Lankan state to eliminate our people from that land of ours. But we the Tamil people do not have that luxury of time to sit back and let our land be taken away and our people murdered every day through violence and starvation.

On this day we remember our dead, let us resolve to work with diligence and unity of purpose to protect our people and our motherland.

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