- US Tamils saddened and shocked by brutal murder of Joesph
Pararajasingham
27 December 2005
Text of Statement by
World Tamil Coordinating Committee – USA ,
Illankai Tamil Sangam – USA, World Tamil Women Organization –
USA, Federation of Tamil Association of North America (FeTNA)–
USA, Center for Women’s Development and Rehabilitation – USA,
Tamil Heritage International – USA, Illankai Tamil Sangam -
Florida, World Tamil Organization - Illinois, Midwest Tamil
Sangam - Illinois, Ohio Tamil Association - Ohio, Tamil Refugees
Rehabilitation Organization - California, Illankai Tamil Sangam
- California, Illankai Tamil Sangam - Vancouver-Portland –
Washington, Illankai Tamil Association - North Carolina, Tamil
Welfare and Human Rights Committee – District of Colombia
We, the undersigned organizations in USA are angry and deeply
saddened
by the brutal murder of Mr.Joseph Pararajasingham, Tamil
Parliamentarian and a human rights activist. We are shocked that the
murder was carried out in a church and during a midnight mass to
celebrate Christmas. St. Mary’s church where Mr. Pararajasingham was
murdered is in a Sri Lankan army controlled High Security Zone in
the Batticaloa town.
Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham was shot, just after he received
communion from Bishop Kingsley Swampillai, the Bishop of Batticaloa.
Mr. Pararajasingham’s wife, Sugunam was also seriously wounded and
is in a critical condition. Seven others including children were
also wounded in this barbaric act.
The Tamil people all over the world have lost a fearless champion
who risked his life to tell the truth of injustice and cruelty to
the Tamils by the Sinhala Buddhist controlled Sri Lankan government.
The world has lost an honest and decent human being.
Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham was a founding member of the NorthEast
Human Rights Secretariat [NESHOR]. He was also an Executive Member
of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and the SAARC
Parliamentary Association.
Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham met various world leaders and officials
including the US Department of State and brought to their attention
the persecution of Tamils by the successive Sri Lankan government.
When the US Congressman Danny K. Davis visited the Tamil areas this
year, Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham accompanied him. This callous
murder should be seen in the context of Sri Lankan government’s
efforts to de-link the Tamils from the international community and
denying them an opportunity to bring to their attention, the
ceasefire violation and the extrajudicial and sexual assaults
perpetrated by the Sri Lankan armed forces.
The sanctity of a church and the sacredness of the day were not
considered in carrying this atrocious act on Christmas day in a
Church. This should not be considered in isolation but in the
context of recent persecution of Christians and burning of churches
in callous disregard for the religious pluralism in the country by
the Sinhala Buddhist chauvinistic forces.
We are shocked by the cynicism of the Sri Lankan government which by
its statements or insinuations by their spokes person, Sinhala
correspondents and Sinhala ‘experts’ are trying to blame the LTTE
for this murder. These outrageous accusations as usual are done
without any investigations or even the apprehension of the assassins
who carried out the murder in a High Security Zone controlled by the
Sri Lankan army. This insults the intelligence of people. The
location of the assassination a “High Security Zone”, which are
Tamil areas occupied by the Sinhala armed forces clearly establishes
that this atrocious murder was probably done by the Sri Lankan armed
forces or by the paramilitary forces acting in collusion with the
Sri Lankan military intelligence.
This cowardly action is not only violating the
Article 2.1 of the ceasefire agreement which prohibits
assassination but also the killing of a noncombatant. It is also a
violation of Fourth Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of
Civilian Persons in Times of War. This is nothing but an act of
State terrorism in its naked form.
We also sadly point out that the action/inaction on the part of the
international community contributed to the present climate. When the
Sri Lankan leadership repeatedly claimed that they had established
an international safety net designed to surround and contain the
Tamils struggle for self-determination, the international
community’s failure to repudiate these claims and disassociate
itself from the stated partisan goals of such a safety net
strengthened the hands of the Sinhala armed forces.
The Co-Chair’s turning a blind eye towards the failure of the Sri
Lankan armed forces to vacate civilian homes, temples, schools in
violation of Article 2.2 of the ceasefire agreement and
International Humanitarian Laws; the failure of the Sri Lankan
government to disarm the paramilitary groups as required by Article
1.8 of the ceasefire agreement and scuttling of the Post-Tsunami
Operational Management [PTOMS] to address the urgent humanitarian
needs of the Tsunami victims embolden the Sinhala chauvinist forces
that they can breach the ceasefire agreement with impunity and
impose a military solution to the Tamil national question.
In addition, while the international community employs concepts
such as “earned sovereignty”, “conditional sovereignty” and “phased
out sovereignty” in national conflicts in Sudan, Bougenvilla,
Montenegro, and Kosovo, its insistence that its solutions to the
current conflicts in the island of Sri Lanka should be within the
united Sri Lanka creates a perception that the international
community is on the side of the Sinhala chauvinistic forces.
The international community must take concrete actions to stop the
State terrorism. We are aware that when known leaders of the Tamil
struggle are killed, such as Mr. Kausalyan, the head of LTTE’s
Eastern political wing and the head of the Eastern Tsunami
reconstruction efforts, and Mr. Chandra Nehru, the Human Rights
activist and journalist Taraki, the international community
expressed concerns.
However, the assassination of Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham
demonstrates that these concerns have not had any effect on the Sri
Lankan government. It is appalling that these and other deaths are
never investigated fully and brought to any conclusion. The impunity
with which Tamils killings are never properly investigated or
punished including mass murders are an encouragement for the armed
forces to continue with their killings. However the LTTE is blamed
without any effective investigation. This is part of the war to
marginalize and dehumanize the only force that can effectively speak
up for the Tamils.
We are also aware that due to the inherent bias in the international
system and diplomatic protocols is easy to criticize and take
actions against a non-state party. We also would like to point out
that given the political history since independence appeasement of
the Sinhala Buddhist forces will not change its pervasive and
entrenched racism. The international community must show political
and moral courage and impose sanctions on the government of Sri
Lanka in order to put an immediate end of this deliberated and
calculated violence. Such an action would restore confidence of the
Tamil people in the peace process.
World Tamil Coordinating Committee – USA
Illankai Tamil Sangam – USA
World Tamil Women Organization – USA
Federation of Tamil Association of North America (FeTNA)– USA
Center for Women’s Development and Rehabilitation – USA
Tamil Heritage International – USA
Illankai Tamil Sangam - Florida
World Tamil Organization - Illinois
Midwest Tamil Sangam - Illinois
Ohio Tamil Association - Ohio
Tamil Refugees Rehabilitation Organization - California
Illankai Tamil Sangam - California
Illankai Tamil Sangam - Vancouver-Portland – Washington
Illankai Tamil Association - North Carolina
Tamil Welfare and Human Rights Committee – District of
Colombia
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