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[Act now! Tomorrow may be too late!
(LeN-Nov16, 6.00am 2nd Edition))We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned about the rapid deterioration of political and democratic rights of the people of Sri Lanka and the steady militarization of the Sri Lankan society. The escalation of military attacks and recent abductions and killings of civilians further vindicate that the Ceasefire Agreement signed between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has already been abandoned. The public statements by the two parties that they continue to adhere to the CFA and the current military engagements are `defensive` operations are just for the purpose of keeping the international opinion at bay. Despite the wave of direct assassinations, disappearances, abductions and destruction of property using shock and awe aerial operations or suicide and other forms of bombing, the parties to the conflict have not come closer to achieving their objectives militarily. However, the escalation of the war has pushed the communities further apart than ever. Previously, the activities of the armed wing of the LTTE and paramilitary groups were mainly concentrated in the north and east. Now the circle seems complete with paramilitaries seemingly controlling the political decision making in the south, which is a reappearance of a situation similar to that of the 1988-89 period. It is very clear that the GOSL is neither capable of dealing with the situation nor willing to deal with it effectively. Each act of excess and outrage is met with a promise of an inquiry but nothing comes out of these promises. We are very sad that the Tamil people in the North and East have been subject to collective punishment as done in Palestine and Lebanon, depriving them their right to food, medicine and adequate healthcare for their basic survival as human beings. Hundreds of thousands of people in the northern Jaffna peninsula are cut off from the rest of the island and are living precariously on meager and uncertain supplies of food shipped by the government. Thousands more in the East are living in refugee camps exposed to the constant bombardment. Sri Lankan society cannot be reconciled or made peaceful by destroying the dignity of its people, by placing embargos on essential items or by taking away their rights to live as equals irrespective of their socio-cultural backgrounds. The recent Memorandum of Understanding between the two main political parties in the South does not seem to have been developed for the benefit of the Sri Lankan society. The MOU appears to be an essential measure to maintain the status quo of the two parties intact, where one party wants to stay in power and the other to avoid further weakening of their party. Despite their grandiose talk about new levels of understanding they have reached, the two parties do not seem to have an agreed vision for leading Sri Lankan people towards safeguarding the unity and the aspirations of the peoples of the island, and alleviating the extreme economic and social sufferings of the people, in particular the Tamil and Muslim people in the north-east. The LTTE for its part, is not making things any easier, least of all for the long-suffering people of the North and East. Not only has it continued to egg on the armed forces but it seems to be doing so with a view to causing maximum political, economic and social mayhem. In short Sri Lanka is trapped between two warring parties who are not only shortsighted but are also committed to narrow interests. This is most irresponsible behaviour for a democratically elected government and a `Liberation Organisation`. Both parties appear to be interested only in furthering their own agendas even if it is at the expense of the people they claim to represent and whose welfare they are responsible for. Left to their own devices they can only bring more misery to the people and in the most devastating fashion. We call upon the international community to intervene immediately and forcefully to check the rapidly deteriorating situation in Sri Lanka. At present, neither the Sri Lankan government nor the LTTE has either the will or the foresight to ensure that the situation does not get out of hand. On the contrary, they seem to be driving the country headlong into the abyss. Only the international community with the influence some of its members commands over both parties can prevent this from happening. Therefore, we call upon the international community to exert maximum pressure immediately: * To cease all acts of violence and hostilities with immediate effect and resume negotiations for a lasting solution to the current conflict. * To open up A9 highway, the closure of which has led to starvation and strangulation of the population dependent on this route for their supplies and travel. * To ensure an adequate supply of food and medicine to the besieged people of the north-east Sri Lanka. * To adopt a federal constitution as the way to achieve a just and fair solution to the national question that satisfy the aspirations of all peoples of Sri Lanka. * To conduct open and transparent investigations by independent international institutions into recent incidents of disappearances, killings, abductions and the targeting of civilian population for military attacks. It is time for the international community to show their sincere commitment by immediate and forceful intervention in order to assist the people of Sri Lanka to come out of this critical and grave situation. Act now! Tomorrow may be too late! Signed Dr Channa Wickremasekera, Alice Springs, Australia Asanka Perera, Canberra, Australia Dr Willie Senanayake, Canberra, Australia Gamini Viyangoda, Paris, France Vimukthi Jayasundara, Paris, France Professor Kumar David, Hong Kong Sylvester Jayakody, Italy Bilal Yusuf, Sri Lanka Shashikala Jayasinghe, Sri Lanka Ajith Lakshman, New South Wales, Australia Asela Jayanath, New South Wales, Australia Nishantha Jayakodi, New South Wales, Australia Thilan Perera, Sri Lanka Shamil Mohommad, Sri Lanka Ashwini Aiyar, Sri Lanka Srikantha Nadarajah, New South Wales, Australia Ajith Munasingha, Sri Lanka Kanishka Ratnapriya, Sri Lanka Ajith Rajapaksa, Melbourne, Australia Dr Prasad Mohotti, Melbourne, Australia Lionel Bopage, Melbourne, Australia Nalliah Suriyakumaran, Melbourne, Australia Sumith Piyadasa, Toronto, Canada Nimalka Fernando, Sri Lanka Samanthi Gunawardana, Melbourne, Australia Dr A. R. M. Imtiyaz, Philadelphia, USA Dr Michael Roberts, Adelaide, Australia Asela Ratwatte Wickremasooriya, Sri Lanka Pujitha Jayakody, Sri Lanka Hashintha Jayasinghe, Sri Lanka Cyril Gunaratna, Melbourne, Australia] I fully agree with them |
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