Speaking to the Sunday Leader, on the upcoming Northern Provincial Council election, the spokesperson, Suren Surendiran, for the Global Tamil Forum, asserted that "no amount of military intimidation through occupation will suppress our people's demand for self determination".
See here for full report. Extracts of Surendiran's remarks reproduced below:
See here for full report. Extracts of Surendiran's remarks reproduced below:
"The elections for the Northern Provincial Council will take place amidst concerns over the environment in the North. The occupation of civilian land in Jaffna by the military and acquisition of land by the government under the land acquisition act is a worrying factor for the northern Tamils. According to some sources nearly 2,000 people have sought legal assistance to reclaim their land in the north."
"The fact that an election for a recognised constitutional body in the Sri Lankan Constitution has to be fought for by the Tamils and the government of the day has to be forced to agree to conduct such an election by the international community through at least two resolutions at the UNHRC in two consecutive years and through a bit of arm twisting by the very powerful neighbour, proves that President Rajapaksa and his government has no genuine political will whatsoever to resolve the Tamil National Question in a meaningful, respectable and acceptable way,”
“One wonders why the most respectful Mahanayakes didn’t complain when the same had been in practice in the Sinhala majority areas of the country for over a decade but when the Tamil majority areas have to be given equal rights, they have to object? To avoid confusion, let me go on record to acknowledge that the GTF believes that the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution cannot be an interim or a final political solution to the Tamil National Question."