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Sri Lanka: Military Annexation Of Sampur A Complete Collapse
Of CFA?
International Federation of Tamils, Press Release [also in PDF:
English -
Tamil]
5 September 2006
The International Federation of Tamils (IFT) expresses its strong disappointment
at the failure of the International Community (IC) to take appropriate action to
arrest the precarious situation prevailing in Sri Lanka. This was caused by the
recent military action of the State Armed Forces, culminating in the annexation
of Sampur in the Trincomalee district. The annexation is a deliberate violation
of the line of divide as clearly provided and agreed in the
Cease Fire Agreement (CFA), with the possibility of causing a complete
collapse, unless urgent measures are taken by the IC to arrest the situation and
rectify the wrong done.
IFT points out that the LTTE, on its part, is likely to count this as a release
from its obligation to abide by the Agreement. Although the Facilitators, SLMM,
the EU and Co-Chairs stand ignored, insulted and defiled by the action of Sri
Lanka, the International Community has neither condemned nor taken any action
against the perpetrator.
The collapse of the CFA was not only gradual but also was coolly orchestrated.
Since April this year,
aerial bombardment of Tamil civilian settlements, defying UN stipulations,
was conducted. Taking IC`s silence as complicity, aerial bombardment gathered
momentum, destroying village after village. Mavilaru water dispute, was on the
point of being amicably settled by the LTTE and the SLMM when the State armed
forced commenced attack on LTTE controlled area, causing heavy displacement and
killing with impunity. The IC`s silence, was again misconstrued as complicity
and the State took bold to wage war.
IFT wishes to point out to the IC comprising the EU, Co-Chairs, Peace
Facilitator and the SLMM, that it failed in its duty to take action against Sri
Lanka from the start when it commenced its aerial bombardment of civilian
targets in the LTTE controlled areas, violating the CFA. It is the lackadaisical
attitude of the IC that encouraged Sri Lanka to commit a heinous crime against
the Tamil nation and given courage to the perpetrator to break the CFA,
gradually leading it to its collapse as seen today.
IFT also wishes to point out that the SLMM committed to monitoring CFA
violations was more involved in monitoring humanitarian violations than the task
it was assigned for. In no case of CFA violations, was the SLMM bold enough to
name State as the perpetrator. It always adopted a safe path by calling both
parties to adhere to the rule, thus allowing the state transgressor to violate
with impunity.
It would be inappropriate if we do not point out that the EU ban, criminalizing
the LTTE and the Tamils, was the primary as well as the remote cause for the
collapse of the CFA, as was rightly pointed out by the outgoing Head of the
SLMM, Ulf Henricssen and the Norwegian Special Peace Envoy, John Hanson Bauer.
Finally, the IFT reiterates its condemnation of the arbitrary annexation of
Sampur and calls upon the IC to take right and fair action to bring Sri Lanka to
book and save the CFA from collapse.
For Further Contacts:
[email protected]
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