LTTE Political Head welcomes Obama's attention on Tamils' plight

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 May 2009, 14:13 GMT]
"We thank and welcome the categorical calls by President Barack Obama for the Sri Lankan Government to take toward alleviating the humanitarian crisis," said B. Nadesan, the political head of the LTTE in a statement issued from Vanni Thursday. "The United Nations Organization and the Security Council has held back in their traditional humanitarian leadership role to take prudent measures and bring about a truce and safeguard Eelam Tamils. Now, the Eelam Tamils earnestly look forward to President Barack Obama to lead the humanitarian intervention," Mr. Nadesan said in his response to US President's statement on Wednesday.

Full text of the statement follows:

Head Quarters
Political Wing
May 14th, 2009


Tamils in Eelam and around the globe welcome and thank the President of the United States of America Mr. Barack Obama, for passionately talking about the plight of Tamil civilians and calling for urgent actions to alleviate the mounting humanitarian crisis.

The United Nations Organization and the Security Council has held back in their traditional humanitarian leadership role to take prudent measures and bring about a truce and safeguard Eelam Tamils. Now, the Eelam Tamils earnestly look forward to President Barack Obama to lead the humanitarian intervention.

As President Barack Obama said, “Sri Lanka must seek a peace that is secure, but also lasting,” and we support a permanent ceasefire as well to work towards that peace. The arms we possess are the protective shield of the impending final solution of peaceful political aspiration of Eelam Tamils.

Today the Sri Lankan government is collectively punishing the Tamils wherever they live in this island, for their quest for self determination and freedom. Eelam Tamils are perturbed of the eviction from their homeland and to detention in concentration camps (or the prospect of it) without any livelihood and dignity for the foreseeable future.

Invading the Tamil homeland, disregarding calls for restraint from firing into Tamil civilians in the “no fire zone” - who moved in there due to the Sri Lankan army onslaught on the Tamil homeland - , detaining them in camps and enforced disappearances of Tamils all over this island are all taking place without independent witnesses.

As President Barack Obama said, “urgent action” is needed by the world humanitarian community to protect the Tamils. The Sri Lankan Government has been successful in blindfolding the international community to continue with the onslaught, under the guise of “war on terror” and even a “humanitarian rescue” operation that never took into account the “human costs”.

We thank and welcome the categorical calls by President Barack Obama for the Sri Lankan Government to take toward alleviating the humanitarian crisis. Presence and free access for independent humanitarian aid workers and media to all parts of this island, particularly in all areas of the Tamil Homeland, is urgently needed.

We thank President Barack Obama once again, for taking time to shed light on the plight of Eelam Tamils.

Yours sincerely,
B. Nadesan
Head of the Political Wing

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