Swiss Tamils set benchmark in political organisation

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 March 2010, 01:32 GMT]
Eezham Tamils in Switzerland will democratically elect their representatives to form Swiss Council of Eezham Tamils on March 28, announced Tamil Election Switzerland (TES) it its official website. The constitution of the council will be based on the democratic mandate given by the diaspora Tamils of Switzerland in a referendum held in January this year, the announcement further said. The democratic moves of Swiss Tamils for their political organisation have already received widespread appreciation from the Swiss media, political parties and from the members of the National Parliament. The council will follow Switzerland's federal model of cantons for its structure, said Thayatharan Deivendran, the spokesman of the election committee.

TES has called for eligible candidates to come forward contesting the elections.

Four Swiss politicians, including Hans-Jörg Fehr, a member of parliament and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council and that of the Council of States of Switzerland, and party politician Cédric Wermuth, the vice president of the Social Democrats, have come forward to become members of the independent election committee for TES.

Last January, TES conducted a referendum re-mandating the main principle of the Vaddukkoaddai Resolution of 1976 calling for independent and sovereign Tamil Eelam in the North and East of the island of Sri Lanka. An overwhelming 99 percent of ballots cast in the referendum, participated by 66 - 70 percent of eligible Eezham Tamil voters in Switzerland, said 'yes' to Tamil Eelam.

The credible and systematic way the referendum was conducted was widely appreciated by many in Switzerland. More than 25 newspapers in German and French languages in the country covered the event.

After the referendum, many Swiss politicians commented that they respect the principle of self-determination and that it is up to the Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka and in the diaspora to decide what they want.



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Related Articles:
25.01.10   Referendum conducted in exemplary way in Switzerland


External Links:

TES:		Tamil Election Switzerland
Peace Activities:		Peace Activities