Harrow Tamils meet to discuss Sri Lankan civil war

Harrow Tamils meet to discuss Sri Lankan civil war
12:56pm Monday 2nd March 2009

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By Tristan Kirk »

A FORMER high ranking US official has called on Harrow Tamils to document their experiences in their home country as he seeks to have Sri Lankan leaders charged with genocide.

Bruce Fein, who served in the administration of Ronald Reagan as deputy attorney general, addressed a meeting of the Tamil community this weekend in Harrow.

He explained how he and fellow members of action group Tamils Against Genocide are building a case against Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse, and the country's army commander Sarath Fonseka.

He told the packed Sree Ayyappan Temple, in Masons Avenue: “We want these guys to be serving time in prison. In fact under our law there is the sentence of death.

“It is a privilege to fight such a difficult but honourable battle. We want to cast light on the horrors going on in Sri Lanka, and to deter the current government from continuing the atrocities.”

Mr Fein likened the current situation in Sri Lanka to past genocides in Rwanda, Bosnia, Serbia, and Sudan, and explained that a 1,000 page indictment has been handed to the US Justice Department about the alleged alleged atrocities in the war-torn country.

He said the tactics of the Sri Lankan government, which has been embroiled in a 25-year civil war with separatist group the Tamil Tigers, is to group civilian Tamils in a safe zone and then bomb that area, killing innocent people.

He said: “They will bomb indescriminately in the Tamil area, and drive the refugees into a safe zone.

“That's exactly where they intend to bomb and kill people.”

Mr Fein asked the 200-strong audience to write an afadavit detailing their experiences in their home country, to be used as evidence to support the indictment which is currently being looked at by the US Justice Department.

He said: “Something has to be done to the government of Sri Lanka.

“You as Tamils know victims, you know what the government is doing, and the US needs to take the lead.”

The situation in Sri Lanka was brought to the world's attention a couple of weeks ago when Murukathasan Vanakulasingam, a Harrow resident, burned himself to death outside the gates of the United Nations headquarters in Geneva.

The 26-year-old committed suicide to highlight the situation in his home country, and left a ten-page letter calling on governments of the world to take notice and act against the Sri Lankan government.

Thousands are expected to attend a memorial service for Mr Vanakulasingam, but Tamil leaders are struggling to find a suitable place for it to be held.

His father is due to bring his body back home this week after the conclusion of investigations in Switzerland.

The Sri Lankan High Commission contacted the Harrow Times after we broke the story of Mr Vanakulasingam's death, and it denied a genocide is taking place in the country.

A representative said Tamil Tigers have brain washed many Tamils into following their cause, and the militants use civilians as shields which is why innocent women and children are killing during the conflict.

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Your Say YourHarrowVelu Balendran, Beeston says...
5:12pm Mon 2 Mar 09
There is ample evidence for this genocide (even without external witnesses due to govt expulsion of NGOs, international organisations and media). But, Tamils fear a more virulent form of genocide is about to be practiced. Where there are 350,000 Tamils trapped, the govt astonishingly now claims only 70,000, with 2 purposes in mind. The first is to reduce all food & medical supplies for this lower figure of 70K. (They supplied only 40MT – one day’s consumption – in several weeks). The 2nd treacherous aim is, as soon as another 70,000 Tamils cross over to govt controlled camps, to claim that all Tamils have left the Vanni and commit the worst of genocide by bombing & shelling around 350,000 Tamils left, but claiming them as only the 2,000 Tigers & auxiliaries already estimated by the govt, It may be of interest to your readers to note that a shipload of ammunition supplied by Pakistan every 10 days will be used in this genocide in addition to bunker buster bombs, cluster bombs & MBRL cluster munitions supplied by others.There is ample evidence for this genocide (even without external witnesses due to govt expulsion of NGOs, international organisations and media). But, Tamils fear a more virulent form of genocide is about to be practiced. Where there are 350,000 Tamils trapped, the govt astonishingly now claims only 70,000, with 2 purposes in mind. The first is to reduce all food & medical supplies for this lower figure of 70K. (They supplied only 40MT – one day’s consumption – in several weeks). The 2nd treacherous aim is, as soon as another 70,000 Tamils cross over to govt controlled camps, to claim that all Tamils have left the Vanni and commit the worst of genocide by bombing & shelling around 350,000 Tamils left, but claiming them as only the 2,000 Tigers & auxiliaries already estimated by the govt, It may be of interest to your readers to note that a shipload of ammunition supplied by Pakistan every 10 days will be used in this genocide in addition to bunker buster bombs, cluster bombs & MBRL cluster munitions supplied by others.
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polsambola, wembley says...
9:48pm Mon 2 Mar 09
The claims of Genocide are totally bogus as vindicted by all the members of the United Nations Security Council. They have affirmed what Sri Lanka faces is terrorism just two days ago. Bruce Fein is paid handsomely by the Tamil diaspora. Good luck to him. The British Tamils consist mainly of the economic migrant sector need a good argument to sustain their refugee status in the UK. So they are left to "seek evidence of Genocide". 78% of Sri Lankan Tamils who live peacefully in Colombo suburbs with the sinhalese find this a laugh... How easy is it to fool the British immigration/welfare system by a call of non-existant Genocide..!! People of Harrow beware. The claims of Genocide are totally bogus as vindicted by all the members of the United Nations Security Council. They have affirmed what Sri Lanka faces is terrorism just two days ago. Bruce Fein is paid handsomely by the Tamil diaspora. Good luck to him. The British Tamils consist mainly of the economic migrant sector need a good argument to sustain their refugee status in the UK. So they are left to "seek evidence of Genocide". 78% of Sri Lankan Tamils who live peacefully in Colombo suburbs with the sinhalese find this a laugh... How easy is it to fool the British immigration/welfare system by a call of non-existant Genocide..!! People of Harrow beware.
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