Documentation of Norwegian Tamil mandate released

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 September 2009, 07:49 GMT]
Comprehensive documentation of a referendum conducted among Eezham Tamils of Norway is now released in the form of a 48-page publication by Utrop newspaper, which conducted the poll on 10th of May this year. In the referendum, 99 percent of the voters endorsed the Vaddukkoaddai Resolution of 1976, calling for an independent and sovereign Tamil Eelam in the traditional homeland of Eezham Tamils in the North and East of the island of Sri Lanka. 90 percent of eligible voters in Oslo, and an average 80 percent of them in entire Norway turned out for the voting, a first of its kind exercise in that country and among the world diaspora of Eezham Tamils. The documentation is widely seen inspiring global democratic efforts of Eezham Tamils for their liberation.

The poll that revealed what the Eezham Tamils have in their heart was conducted during the final days of the war in Vanni.

The Norwegian Tamil mandate and similar shows of democratic will of Eezham Tamils gain more significance today in rebuking and progressing the stand of powers that abetted a military solution in the island but failed in political and humanitarian justice, said Tamil circles in Norway.

A Norwegian political party, Rødt (Red, a revolutionary socialist political party), founded in 2007, has adopted the demand for Tamil Eelam in its manifesto. There are also prominent politicians and youth wings of other political parties that have recognised the right to self-determinaton of Eelam Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka.

The Utrop poll was independently conducted by the multicultural newspaper in 14 centres of Norway, at a cost of around 125,000 NOK.

“Utrop undertook full responsibility of the expenses, in the desire of upholding the spirit of independence in such a democratic venture. This publication, documenting the experiment, is brought out as a priced souvenir in the hope of recovering the expenses through popular support. This is yet another experiment of Utrop in ascertaining feasibility of initiating democratic expressions of the cultural groups in Norway through independent and participatory finance,” reads a note in the publication.

The publication is priced 200 Norwegian kroner (utrop@utrop.no), and local committees undertaking similar referendum will fix the price in other countries, the document further notes.



Chronology: