GENOCIDE OF SRI LANKAN TAMILS

The Australians for Human Rights of the Voiceless (AHRV)
PO Box 991, Strathfield, NSW-2135, Australia

August 2007

Honourable Shinzo Abe
Prime Minister of Japan

Copies to ;
Mr. Erik Solheim (Norwegian International Development Minister)
Mr. Richard Boucher (US Assistant Secretary of State)
Mr. Yasushi Akashi (Special Representative of Japan)
Mr. Andreas Michaelis (Director-General of EU Presidency)
Mr. James Morran (Acting Deputy Director-General of European Commission)

Dear Prime Minister,

GENOCIDE OF SRI LANKAN TAMILS AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

The Australians for Human Rights of the Voiceless (AHRV) is a human rights organisation registered in Australia advocating human rights issues on behalf of the oppressed people, who we consider “voiceless” and without the power to represent on their own behalf. In this instant case, we address you out of our serious concern for the Tamil People in Sri Lanka currently facing the threat of genocide.

You would be well aware of the continuing armed conflict between the Sri Lankan Government and the Tamil leadership, known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), demanding a free and independent State for the Tamil People.

Your special envoy, Mr Yasushi Akashi, has been visiting Sri Lanka several times during the past two years with the view to bringing a negotiated settlement between the warring parties, but to no avail so far. We appreciate the sustained and abiding interest in this matter of your government and unreservedly extend our sincere gratitude for such efforts.

Since the establishment of the regime of the current executive President Rajapakse, human rights violations directed against the ordinary innocent Tamil civilians have escalated to a level comparable to the rule of tyrants of modern era like in Zimbabwe under President Mugabe and Iraq under Saddham Hussein. We are led to believe that a planned action of sophisticated genocide is being carried out by the Rajapakse regime leading to the denial of aspirations of the Tamil People to live with dignity and security in their home land.

Among the other atrocities, which the Tamil civilians presently and regularly face are:
 Aerial bombing
 Extra judicial killings
 Abductions, Tortures and Human Rights Violations
 Students , Journalists and Parliamentarians killed and harassed to silence them
 Attacks on places of worship of all denominations
 Denial of free movement of food and medicine
 Evictions from their own traditional homes and lands
 Denial of access to their means of livelihood
 Prevention of children pursuing their education at all levels
 Occupation of schools and religious places by the security forces.

Besides, international and local aid workers have either been murdered, abducted, or their access to internally displaced persons prevented.

For 35 years since Sri Lanka attained independence, peaceful agitations by the minority Sri Lankan Tamils went unheeded, only to be met with violent reprisals giving rise to the 25- year old armed conflict for an independent State. Successive governments, composed of the majority Sinhalese, have failed to honour agreements, however minimal in content, which were reached with certain Tamil political parties.

Recently, various international human rights organisations and Governments have condemned the Sri Lankan State sponsored terrorist activities. The Co-chairs, with the exception of Japan, decided to suspend all financial aid to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka depends on foreign aid to finance its war machinery. Foreign aid has facilitated to the fullest extent, the diversion of other funds to implement the government’s program of genocide. Japan, by continuing to provide aid to Sri Lanka, is in fact assisting it in pursuing its agenda of war and genocide.

Further, during the past five years, we are aware that huge amounts were donated by your government in good faith as financial aid for the welfare and economic development of the Sri Lankan people. You would naturally expect that an equitable proportion would have gone for the welfare of the people of the North East of Sri Lanka. We can assure you that only a little amount of your aid has reached the people of the north east as could be seen in the rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in the Tamil speaking areas. We are confident that we would be proved correct in the event of your calling for a report from the Sri Lankan government on the expenditure on a geographical basis.

We earnestly request that your Government, like other Governments and international organisations, suspends all aid to Sri Lanka until the Sri Lankan Government puts in place definite arrangements to arrest the worsening human rights situation. Further, the Sri Lankan Government should take meaningful and positive steps to bring about a peaceful resolution of the ethnic conflict that has besieged the beautiful island nation for the last so many decades.

Thanking you,

Yours truly,

SINGED BY SUPPORTING INDIVIDUALS AND ASSOCIATIONS