Tamil American Peace Initiative calls on Tamils to Vote

(April 06, Washington, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Tamil American Peace Initiative (TAPI) today called on Tamils to take an active political role by voting in Sri Lanka’s April 8th Parliamentary elections. The group demanded that the government guarantee free and fair balloting and start enacting policies to end discrimination and advance reconciliation.

“Tamil participation in the election is essential to preventing further Tamil disenfranchisement by the government” said Dr. Karunyan Arulanantham, a spokesman for TAPI. “The Tamil voice must be heard.”

“We are concerned that election law violations that were so rampant during the Presidential Elections in January will resurface during the Parliamentary vote,” Dr. Arulanantham said.

Violations cited by international election monitors included violence targeted at Tamils; denying displaced Tamils the right to vote because they were unregistered or lacked national identity cards; the abuse of state resources to help incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s campaign; state persecution of media covering the opposition; and the post-election arrest of the opposition candidate, Army Gen. Sarath Fonseka. In addition, more 90,000 Tamils remain illegally interned in prison-like camps, which could prevent them from traveling to their voting places, TAPI said.

“These detainees, including women and children, must be released immediately,” Dr. Arulanantham said. “The government must allow freedom of movement, freedom of expression and freedom of the press to ensure that people can campaign and vote without fear of intimidation.”

The elections, no matter what their outcome, must be a catalyst for the government to finally address the underlying causes of Sri Lanka’s decades-long war, particularly the oppression of Tamils and other ethnic and religious groups. The government can demonstrate its commitment to reconciliation by launching programs for new housing, hospitals and schools, demining and demilitarization, and economic and job development in the north and east of the island without further delay. The government should also commence political negotiations with elected representatives of the Tamils and work on devolving power to the Tamils, TAPI said.

“Rajapaksa’s administration has demonstrated a lack of respect for the rule of law and the Tamil people, and if the electoral process is not transparent and fair, it will further damage his legitimacy to lead,” Dr. Arulanantham said. “In the conduct of the election and his government, it is time for him to prove that he is capable of protecting the welfare of all people on the Island.”

About TAPI: The Tamil American Peace Initiative was formed by a group of Tamil Americans to help bring lasting peace, justice, democracy, economic development and good governance to Sri Lanka; to focus attention on the destruction of Tamil communities and culture caused by 30 years of war; and to demand an end to the continuing oppression of Tamils on the island