Hon. A. B. Vajpayee,
Prime Minister of India,
Prime Minister's Office, New Delhi.
Dear Prime Minister,
We the undersigned members of the Lok Saba are deeply concerned about the
conflict in the Island of Sri Lanka in which thousands of Tamil civilians (estimated to be
60,000 or more) have perished and several Hindu temples (estimated to be over 1,800) have
been destroyed. Over 500,000 Tamils have fled the Island,
while another 850,000 are displaced within the Tamil Homeland. Then there is the matter of
the economic blockade imposed since 1990 to
deliberately restrict essential food and medicine to the Tamil Homeland.
Since 1995 the Government of Sri Lanka has made matters worse by
forbidding Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) from distributing food, and with the
exception of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), distributing medicines.
Stringent controls have been imposed even on the ICRC on the medicines they provide.
The Sinhala-Buddhist chauvinist Sri Lankan regime has used rape, food and
medicines as weapons of war against the Hindu-Tamils who, for more than 2000 years has
been habitating the Tamil Homeland comprising of the North-East Province and its
contiguous areas in Sri Lanka. Tamils from Sri Lanka escaping this genocidal onslaught continue to arrive in Tamil Nadu in
search of refuge and sanctuary.
Our constituents on hearing of the atrocities being committed against
fellow Tamils are agitated. The feeling for their Hindu-Tamil brothers in Sri Lanka is
deep-seated. Mr. P V Narashimma Rao, the former Prime Minister, while giving evidence
before the Jain Commission of Inquiry said, that the
South
Indian Tamils and the Sri Lankan Tamils share a history and cultural heritage
of more
than 2,000 years.
Given this background the Tamil Nadu Tamils expect the Indian Government
to bring an end to the suffering of their brethren and have requested that action is taken
immediately. Fishermen from Tamil Nadu have been subject to arrests and atrocities by the
Sri Lankan naval forces operating with impunity within Indias territorial waters. Over 300
fishermen had been shot and killed by the Sri Lankan Navy during the past 4 years, more
than 1,000 fishermen maimed and an estimated number of 200 fishing craft destroyed. As
citizens of India our fishermen require the protection of the Indian Government.
The plainly genocidal nature of this war
has gone unreported despite the magnitude of the atrocities and the high civilian death
toll. The real nature of Sri Lankas war is not factually reported because
the international media have no presence in the
war-torn Tamil homeland, the actual theatre of war. The steady flow of arms from China,
Pakistan and the US, countries usually hostile to India is only helping the Sri Lankan
Government to persist with its attempt to impose a military solution to its conflict with
the Tamil people and in that process continue to kill, maim and destroy Tamil lives by the
thousands.
In view of the above we call upon the Government of India to,
(a) sponsor a parliamentary delegation from Tamil Nadu to visit the Tamil
Homeland in Sri Lanka to assess the situation.
(b) persuade the Sri Lankan Government withdraw all its armed forces from
the Tamil Homeland. (this process to begin with an immediate halt to the military
offensive now underway)
(c) impress upon the Sri Lankan regime that the Tamil Homeland comprising
the merged North & East Province is a contiguous geographic & political entity.
And
(d) while arranging to implement the agreements in respect of Kachativu
reflecting the letter and spirit of the two agreements, initiate a process to review the
two agreements with a view of restoring our sovereign rights over Kachativu.
We are deeply grateful for taking note of our concerns and wish to extend
our fullest co-operation to the government in formulating its policy encompassing the
above positions on Sri Lanka.
Thanking you, We Remain, Yours sincerely,
