An Urgent Appeal to the International Community and Human rights Organizations
Detention of Selvarasa Pathmanathan (KP) In Sri Lanka,
We Tamil Diaspora in Switzerland profoundly shocked and dismayed by the arrest of Selvarasa Pathmanathan (KP) in Malaysia and his hand over to the Sri Lankan authorities where he faces torture and execution.
In the past silence of international community during the annihilation of thousands of Tamil people in Tamil homeland encouraged Sri Lankan government to continue their military onslaught that resulted in tragic death of tens of thousands of Tamil civilians with callous disregard for human rights and humanitarian laws. Today more than 300,000 people are languishing in Sri Lankan death camps behind barbed wires.
Access to these camps for humanitarian and UN agencies is highly restricted Worldwide call for an international inquiry commission to investigate the war crimes and crimes against humanity was ignored due to the geo political interests of major players in the region. Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka have become unsung victims of crimes against humanity and war crimes.
In this backdrop Mr. Sevarasa Pathmanathan (KP) has came forward to spearhead the Tamil people’s struggle for self-determination and recognition of their homeland in non-violent peaceful means replacing the armed freedom struggle of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. He publicly declared that Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam has relinquished its armed struggle and willing to go forward through political and democratic means.
He has made efforts and repeatedly requested the international community to release Tamil people from the internment camps and assist them to resettle in their homeland with international monitoring and rehabilitation. He is a strong advocate of politico democratic path to achieve Tamil people’s political aspirations. Instead of encouraging this new form of democratic peaceful means aiding to arrest him and transferred him to Sri Lanka in the pretext of terrorism is politically motivated biased act and serious violation of international human rights law.
It is obvious in Sri Lanka where impunity for serious crimes such as torture, executions and disappearances prevail he will face torture and execution. Sri Lankan law enforcement agencies are well known for their brutal degrading inhuman treatment of Tamil political prisoners that was time and again well documented by the human rights organisations including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
In this tragic circumstances We Tamil Diaspora urgently bring this issue to the international spotlight and earnestly request international community, human rights organisations, activists and International Committee of Red Cross to urge Sri Lankan government to release him as he apparently face torture, inhuman treatments and death and allow him to enjoy his fundamental human rights.
Yours truly,
………………………
Krishna Ambalavanar
(Coordinator, Tamil Forum, Switzerland)
For further information : tamilforumswiss@gmail.com
