Refugees: the blood of more than 30,000 Tamils taint Sri Lanka’s elections

A Tamil refugee reaches this conclusion after years in exile. Most people do not expect much change to the Tamil problem. Many hope nevertheless to see Rajapaska lose; they see him as the architect of their genocide.

New Delhi – “Presidential elections are tainted by the blood of 30,000 Tamils,” a Tamil refugee told AsiaNews. As Sri Lanka’s election campaign gets into high gear, Tamil refugees in neighbouring India have little hope that it will bring any major change.

Living in India since 1996, the refugee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the Tamil National Alliance backs opposition candidate and former Sri Lankan army commander General Sarath Fonseka.
He explained, “Whilst Fonseka has not made any concrete proposals to solve the Tamil question, he is still better than Rajapaska, the architect of the genocide of the Tamil minority with massacres, mass internment, and serious human rights abuses.”

“During the campaign, Fonseka visited Jaffna, which is considered the Tamil cultural capital, visited the popular Hindu temple in Nallur, the Catholic shrine of Madhu in Mannar, and other places of worship considered sacred by all Tamils, as well as Jaffna University. By contrast, President Mahinda Rajapakse’s wife went to see the bishop of Jaffna to get him to convince people in Jaffna to vote for her husband in the presidential election.”

“At least one lakh (100,000) people are still in camps in Vavuniya, mostly from Kilinochi and Pudhu, with the little aid from the government,” the refugee said. “By and large, NGOs provide them with help.”

This has led to situations like that of an 18-year-old woman who died of burns on Christmas Day in Vavuniya. She had suffered burns during the war.

“In such a hopeless situation, where democratic values are non-existent and the country is under the thumb of the military and the government, where most of the population lives in deplorable economic conditions, elections offer little hope for a solution to the Tamil question.”

“It is essential that foreign media be given free access in Sri Lanka.” What is more, “Unless the independence of local media is effectively restored, the situation will not change.”

“Only the international community can take the initiative to solve the Tamil question and that of other minorities and guarantee peace and stability.”