The Tamil people's right to self-determination

TAMIL NATION LIBRARY: Eelam

The Tamil people's right to self-determination
Deirdre McConnell in Cambridge Review of International Affairs, Volume 21 Issue 1 2008 Deirdre McConnell ,

Deirdre McConnell BA Hons; Dip.Art Therapy, is Director, International Programme of Tamil Centre for Human Rights. Her other writings and speeches include - Women & Children Human Rights in the Tamil Homeland, 1999 On Women Against Rape at UN Commission on Human Rights 2001 Tamil Centre for Human Rights Study Mission to Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Vanni, Jaffna, Colombo and Upcountry: July - August 2004 EU Contribution to the Peace Process in Sri Lanka, 2006 Administration of justice, rule of law and democracy in SriLanka Iat UN Sub Commission on Human Rights - 2005 Racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia in Sri Lanka at UN Human Rights Council, 2006

Abstract From the Conclusion References

Note by Nadesan Satyendra, 29 March 2008 - Deirdre McConnell's 17 page article is a closely argued and scholarly examination of Eelam Tamils' right to self-determination. It is a significant and influential addition to the literature on the Tamil Eelam struggle for freedom. The article is devoid of polemic - and, therefore, all the more persuasive. It is unfortunate that copyright restrictions imposed by the Cambridge Review of International Affairs (though understandable) prevent a wider audience in the internet from freely accessing the article. We understand that after an year, the article will be available at www.tchr.net . Meanwhile, ofcourse, the Cambridge Review of International Affairs, Volume 21 Issue 1 2008 may be either purchased or perused in many academic libraries.

Abstract

This article provides an overview of the crisis in Sri Lanka and states why an armed conflict has developed in the northern and eastern parts (north-east) of the country. The Tamils' accusations—of discrimination, denial of the right to self-determination, abrogated agreements and violations of international human rights and humanitarian law amounting to genocide by successive Sri Lankan governments—are supported by specific evidence given by international human rights and legal experts, international human rights non-governmental organizations and other relevant entities. The democratic parliamentary efforts and the non-violent resistance struggle of the Tamil people prior to the outbreak of war are traced over several decades. The article includes an outline of social and law and order achievements in the north-east under the de facto administration of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and concludes with some current international dimensions of the situation."

From the Conclusion

"This article has provided an overview of the relationship between the Tamil and Sinhalese peoples, in first Ceylon and then Sri Lanka. It has also tried to show how the government has used its democratic majority to discriminate against the Tamils over the years since independence, gradually depriving them of all their civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights and ultimately committing acts of genocide. The article shows how the Tamils used every available parliamentary method to attempt to restore their rights and all of these attempts were ignored by the government. Tamils then voted in democratic elections to express their demand to exercise their right to self-determination. Extensive evidence points to the fact that violence was adopted reluctantly and only as a last resort.

The LTTE has been categorized by some countries as a terrorist organization, while holding a groundswell of support in the Tamil homeland areas. The Sri Lankan government has recognized the LTTE's de jure nature, by de-proscribing it and entering into negotiations. What the international community needs to do now is to demand that the government of Sri Lanka talk to the LTTE to bring about a permanent, durable and just solution. With the current political climate framed by the war against terrorism, maybe it is timely for the international community to review its assessment of the LTTE as a terrorist group, as it would seem clear that it is resorting to the right to self-defence while struggling for the right to self-determination. The international community needs to take a balanced account of the conflict. It also needs to give diplomatic support to the LTTE to negotiate with the Sri Lanka government. If the international community wants peace in the area it must encourage this process."

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