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THE STRUGGLE FOR TAMIL EELAM

வடகிழக்கு மனித உரிமைகள் செயலகம்
NorthEast Secretariat on Human Rights

Father M. X. Karunaratnam
is the Chairperson of NESOHR
Address:  கரடிப்போக்கு சந்தி, கிளிநொச்சி
  Karadippokku Junction, Kilinochchi, Sri Lanka
தொ.பே.இல - Telephone: +94(0) 21 228 5986;
Mobile: +94(0) 777 56 2266, Residence: +94(0) 21 22 23704
Website: www.nesohr.org
Email: nesohr@hotmail.com  or nesohr2005@yahoo.com  

"Human rights and humanitarian law have acquired a special significance for the Tamil people. The Tamils are a Fourth World nation - a nation without a state. Existing states do not readily surrender control of territory which they claim as their own - in addition, they often find common cause in securing each other's territorial boundaries. Unsurprisingly, the Tamil people, like many other peoples of the Fourth World, have often turned to the growing body of international human rights law and humanitarian law, and to non governmental organisations for support for their struggle against alien rule and for recognition as a people with the right to freely determine their political status." Human Rights & the Tamil People

Statistics of Disappearances & Killings in December 2005

" During the four years of the ceasefire agreement (CFA), people genuinely believed that there would not be another escalation of violence. They therefore confidently expressed their political views in public gatherings, supporting the Tamil rights to self determination in events like the “Pongu Thamil”, and the “Tamil Uprising” events. The Sri Lankan military has noted the people at the forefront of these events and now appears to be on an extermination drive to eliminate these people. People have commented that those who are terrorising the people are doing so with a list of names. A large number of university students and recent graduates who are yet to find employment are feeling vulnerable by the terror spread by the SLA and its paramilitaries and are displacing to Vanni..."

Open Appeal against Sri Lanka Army Atrocities

"Over the last six to seven weeks atrocities by the Sri Lankan armed forces and paramilitaries against civilians in Northeast have escalated to alarming levels.Sri Lankan armed forces so far have been responsible for at least 45 deaths and more than 100 disappearances and innumerable shooting/beating and injuring of civilians who were going about their daily lives..." more

NESoHR report on Forced Eviction
NESoHR report on Civilian impact of war

Historical details of forced evictions of Tamils by the Governments of Sri Lanka and statistical details on the impact of war on Tamil civilians are detailed in two documents released Monday by the NorthEast Secretariat on Human Rights (NESoHR) located in Karadippoku junction in Kilinochchi.  The report cites United Nations Fact Sheet 25 on "Forced Eviction and Human Rights," in explaining how the rights of Tamils are violated by Sri Lanka military forcefully occupying peoples' homes. The document reproduces statistics on the details of public buildings and private homes occupied by the Sri Lanka military.

The second report presents statistics on people affected by different caused during the periods of war in the NorthEast. The report, the authors say, is not complete due to the following reasons: (a) half a million Tamils have displaced to outside Northeast, and (b) the data collection is not completed in the eastern regions due to the unexpected disruption to the project from the ravages of tsunami.

The statistics are encoded in tables with people affected catagorized under number of dead, disabled, injured, disappeared, arrested, torture, and psychologically affected groups.

Further categorization based on people affected by communal violence, war shock, disappearance, bombing, landmine, boat accidents, trauma after arrest, gun fire, lack of medical care, helicopter-strafing, shelling, stab wounds, torture, and air-attack is also included.

" We have lost Joseph Pararajasingam, our valued member. Mr. Joseph Pararajasingam was shot dead on the Christmas Eve of 2005. He was murdered for the sole reason that he highlighted the human rights situation of the Tamil people. Mr. Pararajasingam was shot inside the Cathedral in Batticaloa town that was crowded with people attending the Christmas mass presided by the Bishop of Batticaloa, Kingsley Swampillai. Mr Pararajasingam's wife, Mrs. P Sugunam, who was beside him, was critically wounded when she tried to protect him from the bullets...

Mr. Joseph Pararajasingam is the second valued NESOHR member shot dead within the span of one year. The loss to NESOHR is truly shattering. NESOHR member for Amparai, Mr. A Chandra Nehru was shot dead in February this year.

In his parliamentarian life, Mr. Pararajasingam, documented human rights violations in eastern Sri Lanka during the 1990's and brought these abuses to the attention of the international community. He persistently challenged the Sri Lankan government on its human rights record. The Sri Lankan parliamentary record, the "Hansard", contains ample evidence of his brave challenges to the Sri Lankan state on its human rights abuses. He traveled the world as a member of parliament, representing the Tamils, to meet foreign ministers and foreign affairs officials and brought the human rights situation in the Northeast to their attention... A land where human rights defenders' lives can be taken away so cheaply is a damned land. It is also a damning indictment on those who are charged with the responsibility of protecting the lives of those courageous defenders. ..."

"Mr. Puleedevan, Secretary General of the LTTE Peace Secretariat, Mr. Sivapalan, Attorney at law from Trincomalee, Dr. Sivapalan, Dean of Jaffna Medical Faculty, Miss. Arulanantham, Jaffna University Librarian, Parliamentarians, Mr. Joseph Pararajasingam, Mr Gajendran, Mr. A. Chandranehru, Former parliamentarian, Mr. Atchuthan, Head of Law School in Vanni,  Ms. N. Malathy, Human Rights Activists (New Zealand), Ms Diedre McConnel, Tamil Centre for Human Rights (Paris), Mr Kirubaharan, Tamil Centre for Human Rights (Paris), Mr. Piratheep, Lawyer (Australia), and Mr. Ana Pararajasingam (Australia)  participated in the meeting"

 "The denial of our human rights is the basis of our struggle. We have not effectively conveyed this message to the world. We will bring about greater awareness of human rights and related international conventions among our people", said Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan, head of the Liberation Tigers' political division, addressing the opening of the LTTE's Human Rights Secretariat in Kilinochchi.  "Human rights was the main weapon that was taken up again at the talks and during our travels abroad. We have done little to bring out the truth regarding the manner in which our people were systematically denied their basic rights...We are not experts in human rights doctrines and theories. But our actions are always guided by humanitarian interests," he said.