'We Condemn the Arrest of Jaffna University Students' - Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam

TGTE press release calls for the removal of occupying Sinhala forces as the Only Solution

Police clash with university students in Jaffna on November 28.— Photo: AFP Courtesy: thehindu.com

(NEW YORK CITY) - The Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) has launched protests and demonstrations in Tamil Diaspora countries calling for the release of Jaffna University students arrested by the Sri Lankan forces and the complete removal of the occupying Sinhala forces from the Tamil homeland.

The recent arrest of Jaffna University students has once again clearly demonstrated that as long as the Sinhala army is stationed in Tamil areas, the safety of the Tamils will never be guaranteed.

While the Tamils overseas continue to clamor for justice in the international arena for the genocide perpetrated by the Sinhala forces in Mullivaaikaal, the structural genocide of Tamils in the homeland continues.

Whilst there may be a difference in the modes of operation between the genocide perpetrated by the Sinhala rulers in Mullivaaikaal and the present structural genocide of Tamils in the island, the complete annihilation of the Tamil Nation in the island of Sri Lanka remains as the sole purpose of their work of genocide.

Through the killing of tens of thousands of Tamils in Mullivaaikaal under the pretext of war, the Sinhala rulers were attempting to eliminate the Tamils’ quest for freedom, their identity as a distinct nation, and their political aspiration to establish an independent and sovereign state of their own. They were attempting to submerge the Tamil identity politics in the dominant stream of Sinhala majority. Yet, they have not managed to touch the political awareness of the people of Tamil Eelam.

There are two important features in the genocide endeavor of the Sinhala rulers while occupying the Tamil homeland. One is to erase all attributes of nationhood from the Tamils and the other is to compel them to surrender to Sinhala dominance and prepare to be assimilated. Both constitute the sinister designs of the Sinhala State to eliminate all traces of a Tamil Nation from the island of Sri Lanka.

It is imperative for their genocidal agenda that the Sinhala rulers eliminate all traces of democratic space in the Tamil homeland. To us, the present attacks and arrest of Jaffna University students have arisen out of the necessity to close down that democratic space.

Today we are witnessing the worldwide phenomenon of students and youth standing up for their democratic rights. At various stages of the Tamil liberation struggle, the student community of Jaffna< University too has played its part in speaking the voice of the Nation’s freedom. The emergence Pongu Thamil as the just symbol of the Tamil Nation’s struggle also happened in Jaffna University from amongst a student community in the midst of military occupation.

The intention of the Sinhala rulers in attacking the student body of Jaffna University today is to shutdown the democratic space available to them and to nip in the bud any opposition to the Sinhala genocide agenda that might gain foot amongst Jaffna youth. It is therefore imperative that all Tamil entities in the homeland and overseas launch a determined struggle against the anti-democratic forces in Sri Lanka and enlist the support of the international civil society including Sinhala people for such a struggle.

The demonstrations and protests undertaken by the Tamil Diaspora condemning the attack on the student community of Jaffna University will convey the message of solidarity to the students and the Tamil people in the homeland. The TGTE stands alongside the Tamil Youth Organization which is spearheading the protests overseas.

The youth caucus of TGTE is taking action to galvanize support for the ongoing struggle of Diaspora Tamils and to take it to other dimensions through the use of social media and in working with the Tamil Youth Organization.

As long as Sinhala forces retain their hold on the Tamil homeland, there will not be any democratic space or a sense of security for Tamils. It is only through a complete withdrawal of Sinhala forces from Tamil homeland that there will be peace and security for Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka. Until such time, there is need for an interim measure in the form of an International Protection Mechanism to be established and guarantee the security of the Tamils in their homeland. The Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam will work unceasingly to mobilize the necessary international support for such a Protection Mechanism.

The Thirst of Tamils is Tamil Eelam
Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran
Prime Minister TGTE