INDIAN TAMIL FISHERMEN GENOCIDE.....

APPEAL TO MEMBER NATIONS OF UNITED NATIONS BY DRAVIDA PERAVAI 25.05.2009 [Part I ]

KAREN PARKER BEFORE U..S.SENATE ON TAMILS PLIGHT IN SRILANKA : 24.2.2009

[ Kiran Parker, a lawyer attended the International Conference for Solidarity with Eelam Tamils organized by Comrade George Fernandes in 1997 where I met. In that conference Era.Janardanam M.L.C, Dravida Peravai N.Nandhivarman, Dr.K.Veeramani President Dravida Kazhagam , Pazha.Nedumaran were the only Tamils from India who spoke. Comrade Thiagu translated the speeches of all leaders who spoke in English. Comrade George Fernandes was the final speaker. My paper was in English 50 xerox copies distributed, yet due to satisfy his team Pazha.Nedumaran blacked out my speech in the Souvenir ,Never in life I will forget this insult to Tamil history ]

STATEMENT OF KAREN PARKER, J.D.

BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON NEAR EAST AND SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIAN AFFAIRS, COMMITTEE OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, UNITED STATE SENATE

FEBRUARY 24, 2009

Chairman Casey and members of the Subcommittee: 

            I am pleased that you are concerned about the situation in Sri Lanka and have given me this opportunity to provide the Subcommittee with information regarding this situation and my views on what United States might usefully do.  By way of introduction I am an attorney specializing in international humanitarian (armed conflict) law and human rights. I have participated in United Nations human rights forums since 1982, and have addressed the situation in Sri Lanka since 1983 on behalf of a number of non-governmental organizations, most recently with the Association of Humanitarian Lawyers (AHL) and International Educational Development (IED). In 1987 I presented a statement to the House of Representatives on the situation in Sri Lanka. 

[1] The views expressed in this statement are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of IED or AHL.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF CURRENT CRISIS

            The twenty-six year old armed conflict between the armed forces of the government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam has reached a phase that can only be called genocide-like and catastrophic for the Tamil people in the north and east of the island. [2] As there are many incidents on a daily basis and the situation is extremely volatile, it is not possible to be either timely or even accurate as far as facts and figures. Accordingly, this overview should be accepted as snapshots indicating the urgency of the situation. Even so, they clearly indicate genocidal acts. [3]

            A. Civilian casualties.

            While numbers vary substantially about the number of Tamil civilians killed, the most reliable estimates indicate at least more than two thousand in the past several weeks alone. There are many thousands with life-threatening injuries and the casualty figures can be expected to rise dramatically in the next few weeks due to lack of medical care. Casualty figures released in June, 2008 for the war indicated more than 100,000 persons had died, the vast majority of them Tamil civilians.[4] Recently, the health officer for Mullaitivu district indicated at least 40 Tamil civilians killed and 100 injured per day.[5]

            B. Illegal military operations.

            It is clear that hospitals, safety zones and civilian locales have been targeted and the number of casualties indicate blatant disregard for humanitarian law standards.[6] In defending military actions against hospitals, Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse was filmed stating: “No hospitals should operate outside the safety zone . . . everything beyond the safety zone is a legitimate target.”[7] This is an egregious misstatement of the humanitarian law rules. In addition to targeting hospitals outside the safety zone, there is also reliable evidence that the government’s forces continue to targeting hospitals, schools and civilian dwellings inside the safety zones and in other undefended civilian areas that under humanitarian law rules may not be attacked.

            C. Status of relief providers.

            Because of fears of attacks as well as because of express orders to leave, most relief agencies have left the LTTE-controlled areas and much of the area newly under government control as well. It appears that Tamils Rehabilitation Organization is the sole-remaining international NGO in the LTTE-controlled area. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was ordered out of the LTTE-controlled areas by the government and its capacity to attend to the needs of Tamil civilians not in the LTTE-controlled areas has been dramatically reduced. Its last act was to transport several hundred severely wounded out of the area by ship.

            D. Shortages of food, water and medical supplies.

            Tamil civilians both inside and outside of the LTTE-controlled areas suffer severe shortages of food, water, and basic medical care.  The primary supplier of food has been the World Food Programme. WFP’s access to the Tamil-controlled was curtailed some weeks ago, but after much international pressure on the government, a food caravan was allowed into the LTTE-controlled area (the Vanni) on February 19 containing 30 tons or an estimated 100 grams per person/ per day, which is grossly inadequate.  At the same time, the available food and water at the government’s IDP camps is also grossly inadequate. UNICEF has had emergency feeding centers for children who are grossly underweight and facing death by starvation, but it is uncertain if they also have been cut back by government edict.  Tamils in the whole of the north and east have had their subsistence farming and fishing severely curtailed for some time due to the government’s establishment of high security zones (HSZ) which effectively remove prime farming and fishing areas from use. In this manner, the Tamils in the North especially have already faced serious food shortages – many Tamil children are developmentally delayed due to lack of food. In any case, all evidence shows that the government is denying food, water and medicine to the Tamil civilian population, prohibited by humanitarian law norms and an element of the crime of extermination under the Statute and Elements of the International Criminal Court. [8]

            E. Status of Tamil civilians.

            There has been considerable controversy about the status of Tamil civilians both in the LTTE-controlled areas and in the government controlled areas. Estimates about the numbers of Tamils in the LTTE area vary from 150,000 to over 300,000. At this point, with no monitoring of the situation, it is impossible to tell, but given the fact that fewer than 60,000 or so have crossed to the government side according to the government’s figures, the higher number is the more likely one. Another controversy is that there are accusations that the LTTE is not letting civilians flee and that the government is preventing people from entering into its area. Again, with no witnesses, it is not possible to verify this accusation. However, is highly likely that many of Tamil civilians in the LTTE- controlled areas would be hesitant to turn themselves over to what they consider an enemy government. [9] Many of those in the Vanni had come there the past few years after abuses in the government-controlled areas such as Jaffna and Trincomalee. Prior to the recent upheaval, monitors who surveyed check points both ways found that many entering the Vanni had lost relatives to the “white vans, ” the vehicles that roam the street and seize people who are rarely seen again.[10]  Others had been arrested and tortured at government police stations. The war began, of course, after the Tamil people lost faith in the national government to protect their rights, and has been fueled by continued human rights and humanitarian law violations against them. Indeed, more than one-third of the Tamil civilian population on the island now forms the more than 1.3 million persons in the burgeoning Tamil Diaspora.[11]Those in the LTTE-controlled area also are aware of the IDP camps, and  know that when they cross the line, that they will be sent to a camp. What is apparent is that those crossing into the government-controlled area are in severe need of both food and water.

            There is also controversy over the government’s plans for Tamils leaving the Tamil-controlled areas. The government originally announced that they would be kept in detention camps for 3 years, but after a rather strong reaction from the international community, especially from certain UN officials and the UK, the government is now claiming that Tamil civilians would be in camps for a shorter, unspecified time. Obviously, those crossing the line would be very nervous to express their opinion freely while in camps, and are likely to say whatever will keep them the safest under the circumstances, as commonly occurs in this type of situation.

            F. Weaponry.

            There is strong evidence that the government forces may be using either illegal weapons or legal weapons in an illegal manner. A recent charge was made that thirty families in a safety zone were killed by “bunker buster” bombs. Without proper investigation, it is not possible to verify this or to know, if used, the bunker busters are B61-11s or the older B61-7s from the United States arsenals, or whether they are of different origin. The photographic evidence of cluster bomb casings against civilians is inconclusive – it is obvious that the markings on the cases is in Russian, but less clear whether the photographed casings were from cluster bombs or some other munitions. It is unknown if the Russian Federation supplied these munitions or if another county did.  There appears to be reliable evidence of the use of white phosphorus as weapons rather than tracers, or that white phosphorus was used with disregard for possible civilian casualties. There is also photographic evidence of the use of fire bombs against Tamils in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs).  The government of Sri Lanka has received Dvora patrol/attack boats from Israel, MIG-27s from Ukraine, military assistance and arms from Pakistan and military assistance (and possibly weaponry) from Iran and possibly the Russian Federation.

            G. Monitoring.

            The government has refused any monitoring of the conflict by international actors and organizations and has prevented the media from going to the war area. Note that former President Clinton and former UN Secretary-General Annan were not allowed to the Tamil-controlled areas following the Tsunami, and, except for the ICRC, now forced out, and one or two UN officials, no other UN mandate holders have been allowed to that area. Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour was allowed to travel to the North in 2007, but not to Tamil-controlled areas. Her visit to Jaffna was heavily controlled by Sri Lanka authorities, and she apparently was not able to meet with Tamil civilians in private. There is a clear intent to prevent anyone is a position to act from meeting with the LTTE leaders or the people who live in the LTTE areas. The head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) John Holes was allowed to visit several of the IDP camps in Vavuniya during his just-finished trip, but he was not allowed to circulate freely and was accompanied by the President’s brother. In the best of circumstances, this would not be conducive to a fair evaluation of the situation. Further, he was called a “terrorist” by Sinhala politicians following his previous visit in (August 2007) when he commented on the high number of killings of humanitarian workers aiding the Tamil population, so he is apt to be cautious. A significant concern is that the interpreter from Tamil to English during Mr. Holmes visit to persons in IDP camps was a senior minister in the Rajapakse Administration, and there is no way to verify what  interviewees actually said.[12]

            H. Attacks on media.

             In the past few years there have been assassinations of many of the major Tamil journalists, or journalists that are considered “friendly” to Tamils by the government. The most recent victim of this was Lasantha Wickrematunge, killed on January 8, 2009. Mr. Wickrematunge, a Time Magazine freelancer and the editor of The Sunday Leader, was an outspoken critic of the government of Sri Lanka.  In an interview with the BBC’s Chris Morris about Mr. Wickrematunge’s death, Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse stated that dissent or criticism in time of war is treason. Chris Morris fled Sri Lanka on February 2, 2009 after being called an LTTE supporter by the Defense Secretary.

Dozens more have fled since then, many receiving aid from international media NGOs. In 2008, 12 journalists were killed in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka was identified by Time Magazine as number 3 on the list of underreported stories in 2008 and claimed the war was deadlier than Afghanistan.

INTERNATIONAL RESPONSES TO THE CRISIS

            There have been a number of actions by both governments and international officials since the crisis began in January, although since the Rajapakse Administration began, there has been increased scrutiny of the long war, especially since January 2008 when President Rajapakse announced that he was suspending the then 5 year old cease fire agreement. For example, there was a special debate on the Tamil genocide in the House of Commons UK in October, followed by an adjournment debate in the House of Commons on Dec. 18, 2008. [13] On January 23, 2009 Germany called for a cease fire. Australia has indicated that it will provide an additional 4 million Australian dollars. The EU issued a call for a cease fire on February 23, 2009.

            A number of international personages have also called for a cease fire and a settlement of the conflict through negotiations. Recently Nobel Laureate Jose Ramos Horta offered to mediate. Nobel Laureates Desmond Tutu and Martti Ahtisaari have recently spoken out about the need for a negotiated political settlement.  

            Within the UN system, Walter Kalin, the UN Independent Expert on Internally Displaced Persons issued a statement of concern on December 23, 2008. Radhika Coomaraswamy, the Special Advisor to the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict issued a statement on January 21, 2009 and another on February 20, 2009. Navi Pillay, the High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a statement on January 29, 2009. On February 9, 2009, ten mandate holders under the UN Human Rights Council issued a statement.[14]         OCHA posted a special report on February 10, 2009, in which it indicated that the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights was preparing to address the needs of up to 100,000 IDP and others. UNICEF and the World Food Programme are actively involved with providing relief in Sri Lanka, although the two specialized agencies cannot operate freely in the Tamil areas and the Tamil-controlled areas.

            A recent request by Mexico to address Sri Lanka in the Security Council was rebuffed by the Russian Federation. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon claimed that he could not ask the Security Council to address the issue because it was not on the agenda, although Article 99 of the UN Charter clearly gives him the authority to do so and he has acted under Article 99 authority in the past.

            The Tamil Diaspora has responded to the crisis with many demonstrations. For example, there have been recent demonstrations in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Washington, DC, New York, San Francisco, London, Paris and Geneva. In Canada there have been several massive demonstrations, including a “human chain” that surrounded a large part of downtown Toronto.

UNITED STATES POLICIES

            United States had little interest and involvement in post-colonial Sri Lanka until the Reagan Administration, even though there were many disturbances between Sinhalas and Tamils from the beginning of that period, including four or five widespread massacres of Tamils by Sinhala mobs. Regretfully, United States policies that began under the Reagan Administration have been unhelpful in resolving this situation. In 1987 India found out about President Reason’s interest in developing Trincomalee Harbor to accommodate the United States Navy: a deal had been nearly worked out with President Jeyewardene. Wanting to prevent this, India entered into the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord (1987) and attached a letter of annexure indicating that nothing would transpire with Trincomalee that was against the wishes of India. There was perhaps a tactical pause under the Clinton Administration. After the events of September 11, the Bush Administration looked again at Trincolamee and there are suggestions that Palaly airfield was also under consideration. Both of these are in the Tamil areas, so in order for possible bases to be secure, the Tamil question would have to be resolved.[15] However, instead of taking a leadership role in resolving the conflict with cooperation of the Co-Chairs and the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission, the Bush administration converted the armed conflict in “terrorism/counter-terrorism.” Thus the conflict was no longer reviewed under prevailing humanitarian law, the result of which has substantially prolonged the conflict and has done considerable damage to humanitarian law itself. Of course, false labeling of armed conflicts as “terrorism/counter-terrorism” does not make the world any safer from actual terrorists and, with the demise of humanitarian law protections usually results in many more victims of armed conflicts than there would otherwise be. Sadly, this is the case in Sri Lanka.

            It is clear that since 1982 the LTTE has met all criteria for combatant status according to humanitarian law norms: they have an identifiable chain of command; they are in uniform and use the weapons and the materiel of war; they have ground, sea and air forces; they have exercised sufficient control over territory to be able to engage in sustained and concerted military operations; and in all ways meet combatant status criteria. This does not mean that to recognize the existence of the armed conflict necessarily means a political approval of their aims, which, as the LTTE states, is to ensure sufficient autonomy if not separation from Sinhala control so as to enable the Tamil people to live in peace and security.

[16] Recognizing a war as a war also does not extinguish the terrorism question: there is a rule in the Geneva Conventions that prohibits “measures of intimidation or terrorism” against the civilian population.

[17] However, if such measures occur, this does not convert combatant forces to terrorists: combatants remain under the protection and obligations of humanitarian law as long as the conflict is occurring, and in certain cases, for some time after the conclusion of hostilities. Both the LTTE and the government forces may carry out any military operation that is not prohibited in humanitarian law. Many of the military operations in this war are legal, but those occurring now that target the Tamil civilian population is not.

            The conversion of the war into “terrorism/counter-terrorism” has had a number of other serious consequences, one of which is the distressful erosion in basic human rights and far too many “shades of gray” in situations that are actually quite black and white.[18] But an even more serious consequence is that the Tamil people worldwide have been so demonized by the constant inferences that “Tamil = Tiger = terrorist,” mostly by the constant references to this by Sri Lanka’s President and other authorities, that Tamils have been intimidated and  have lost the key support of institutions and groups who ordinarily would be sympathetic.[19] Any public show of sympathy for Tamils is fiercely and publicly countered by the government, targeting, inter alia, more than a few members of Congress in the US and members of Parliaments in numerous other countries. Sri Lanka representatives try to intimidate NGOs at United Nations human rights sessions. [20] They also pursue Tamils in the Diaspora, and even try to prevent local authorities from issuing permits for Tamil demonstrations. In the United States there is a mood that somehow the Tamil people as a whole are an enemy of the United States. In my 27 years working on humanitarian law issues, I have never encountered a situation where an ethnic group that  has been the victim of the most serious of human rights and humanitarian law violations becomes the culprit – and in ways that are overtly racist. Indeed, it is not possible for people to discuss any other group in this fashion without receiving instant disapproval.

            There are some hopeful signs that the new United States Administration will play an affirmative role in the situation rather than a grossly negative one. Both President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton have made statements that indicate more careful reflection on this and similar situations.

RECOMMENDATIONS      

      1. The first thing that the United States should do is call for an immediate cease fire, and then should most forcefully present this to the Rajapakse Administration. While the Rajapakse Administration has stated as recently as a few days ago it would not do so, it is difficult to imagine that with the combined force of the US, the rest of the co-chairs and the rest of the “Western and Other” bloc at the UN, Sri Lanka’s main “donor” States, that Sri Lanka would be defiant. While Sri Lanka may have received assurances from Iran and the Russian Federation, for example, that they would cover Sri Lanka’s needs, it does not seem likely that they can substitute for the level of aid from the Western bloc and Japan.

            2. The United States should ensure that no State that receives United States military assistance provides arms to the government forces. The United States should also seek to stop arms delivery to the government of Sri Lanka by any other countries.

            3. The United States should take a leadership role in ensuring that the humanitarian needs of the Tamil civilians are met, that Tamil civilians are not relocated to detention camps but are allowed freely to resettle in their own locales, and that the human rights abuses against them cease immediately. In particular, the United States should ensure that its contribution to the rehabilitation of the Tamil areas reflect a genuine desire to assist. The United States should ensure that any funds donated by Tamil people to assist Sri Lanka Tamils that have been “frozen” be made available for the purpose of assisting these Tamils.

 

            4. The United States should most forcefully insist that on-site visits to any and all areas of Sri Lanka by UN officials or other impartial persons take place, and that interpreters for such visits are trained and impartial. The United States should also insist that Sri Lanka allow the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to expand her office in Sri Lanka.

            5. The United States should ask the government of Sri Lanka what proposals they have for the resolution of the Tamil issue. The United States should consult regularly with the leadership of the Tamil Diaspora, both in the United States and in other countries, to invite comments and suggestions on proposals. The United States should encourage the government of Sri Lanka to accept the good offices of mediators such as those mentioned above.

            6. The United States should ensure that the government of Sri Lanka ceases all anti-Tamil rhetoric at home and abroad and that it finds a way to prevent Sinhala political parties (such as the JHU) from also engaging in anti-Tamil rhetoric that has so often incited Sinhala mob attacks on Tamils and those perceived as “pro-Tamil.” The United States should ensure that the government of Sri Lanka ceases all acts against Tamil American citizens or residents or anyone else perceived as being “pro-Tamil.” 

            7. The United States should reexamine its foreign policy objectives in Sri Lanka and the area, and take steps to ensure that United States policies do not contribute to human rights and humanitarian law violations of any kind, and especially not of the scale and scope of those against the Tamil people in Sri Lanka.  

 

[1] Application of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law to the Situation in Sri Lanka: Hearings on Sri Lanka before the Subcomm. On Asian and Pacific Affairs of the House Comm. on Foreign Affairs, 100th Cong., 1st Sess. (1987).

[2] This is not to say that there are not serious abuses of Tamils in other areas, which, as they are taking place in the context of the armed conflict, also indicate serious violations of humanitarian law.

[3] Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan stated many times that whenever there is an ethnic conflict, the question of genocide arises. In this situation there are elements such as direct killings; imposing impossible conditions of life by severe restrictions of food, water, medicines; killing humanitarian aid workers or driving them out; and continuous ant-Tamil rhetoric at home and abroad.

[4] See British Medical Journal, vol. 336, p1482 – 1486 (19 June 2008) (Zaid Obermeyer, et al.).

[5] Randeep Ramesh, “Sri Lanka casualty toll rises,” The Guardian, Feb.14, 2009.

[6] The protection of hospitals and medical care in general is the foundation issue of the Geneva Conventions, beginning with the Geneva Convention of 1864. Hospitals and other health facilities of both combatants and civilians “may in no circumstances be the object of attack.” Geneva Convention I, Art. 1; Geneva Convention IV, Art. 18. Under current rules, parties to conflicts may establish safety zones, which then become off-limits for military actions.

[7] Interview on Skynet, Feb. 3, 2009.

[8] See ICC, Rome Statute, Articles 7 (1) (b) and 7(2) (b); ICC Elements, Article 7(1) (b).

[9] See, i.e., Robert Evans, MEP, “Who can protect Tamil civilians,” The Independent, Feb. 14 2009: “Whilst the Sri Lankans claim that they are merely trying to eliminate terrorism, the real victims are, as ever, the civilians trapped by the fighting. All the evidence suggests that unless the international community acts very soon, about a quarter of a million people could be caught in a ghastly bloodbath. The Sri Lankan government has urged Tamil civilians to come over to their side for protection, but there is a strong reticence and fear of such a move. The Tamil people have seen so much death and destruction. They are terrified of Sri Lankan troops and their "holding camps", with all the stories of assaults and rape, not to mention the different language and religion which divides the Hindu Tamils from the Buddhist Sinhalese troops.”

[10] According to United Nations figures, Sri Lanka has one the highest numbers of disappeared persons, the vast majority of which are Tamils.

[11] These Tamils are what are called “Eelam” Tamils – Tamils who have lived and governed themselves in the north and east of Sri Lanka for nearly two thousand years. There are also Tamils in Sri Lanka who were brought by the British from India’s Tamil Nadu. Usually referred to as the plantation Tamils, they are not part of the conflict, although they may sympathize with the Eelam Tamils, as do the Tamil people in India’s Tamil Nadu.

[12] At the time of that visit, more than 60 aid workers had been killed in about one and a half years. the highest in any current conflict.

[13] A brief summary of some recent actions undertaken by the UK was transmitted by Andrew Dinsmore MP (Hendon) to one of his constituents, including UK actions urging a cease fire, and pressing the Sri Lankan authorities on access for organizations delivering humanitarian relief to be both improved and more predictable. There has been direct communication by Prime Minister Brown, with follow up by David Milliband, to President Rajapakse encouraging cooperation with the ICRC and UN. The UK government is doubling its recent humanitarian aid, and cooperating with the UN in the Emergency Response Fund.

[14] The statement was issued by experts Sehaggya (human rights defenders), La Rue (freedom of expression on opinion, Corcuera Cabezul (involuntary disappearances), Castrillo (arbitrary detention), Grover (the right to health), Despouy (the independence of justice), deSchutter (the right to food), Alston (the right to life), Nowak (torture), and Rolnik (housing).

[15] The importance of Trincomalee was one of the topics under discussion in the Adjournment debate of December 18, 2008. The debate is on the UK Parliament’s webcam. That the Bush Administration was seeking these military bases may be a reason the Russian Federation has made overtures to the Rajapakse Administration of late and blocked Security Council attention to the matter. There apparently is an MOU between the Bush Administration and President Rajapakse regarding Trincomalee.

[16] Their aims are identical to those of the Kosovans, who have obtained the blessing of the United States to secede from Serbia. One wonders, why the Kosovans and not the Tamils?

[17] Geneva Convention IV, Art. 33.  This is slightly augmented by Protocol Additional I to the Geneva Conventions, Art. 36: “Acts or threats of violence the primary purpose of which is to spread terror among the civilian population are prohibited.”

[18] Treating persons suspected of being terrorists as being Prisoners of War (Guantanamo comes to mind) and held under Geneva Convention standards when they are clearly not captured combatants, for example, is absurd: the “war on terrorism” is a rhetorical phrase, not a factual one.

[19] Note that even M.I.A., the Tamil rap star nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar, was attacked by some for being pro-terrorism. A college student in Canada told me that after the Harper government came to power and “listed” the LTTE, a professor announced in one of her classes that there was a terrorist in the room. 

[20] Note that some also raise the “child soldier” issue, which further demonizes of the Tamil people although the charge is leveled at the LTTE and others. However, the international minimum age for soldiers as set out in the Geneva Conventions is 15, and those who raise the issue are using age 18 as the minimum.   

STOP GENOCIDE : DRAVIDA PERAVAI on 12.2.2009 TO WORLD LEADERS

UNITED NATIONS PEACE KEEPING FORCE: UNITED NATIONS INTERVENTION TO STOP GENOCIDE:

Dravida Peravai launches campaign

Dravida Peravai launched a campaign on 12^th February of 2009 by email/fax/mail to draw the attention of the Members of the Security Council, Member States of the European Union, Member States of NATO and other important nations of the United Nations. In identical memorandums sent Dravida Peravai General Secretary N.Nandhivarman had urged these nations to bring a resolution in Security Council to stop the Genocide of Tamils and also to send United Nation’s Peace Keeping Force. Dravida Peravai had argued that tiny countries had gained independence, and there is equally compelling humanitarian reasons for all nations of the United Nations to extend support for the birth of Tamil Eelam.

Since 1990 till date 33 countries have gained independence, what is wrong for Tamil Eelam to gain independence, Dravida Peravai asks for nations to touch their conscience. There are 17 countries with lesser than 200 sq.kilometers, and why Tamil Eelam should not be made as independent nation, Dravida Peravai asks .If husband and wife disagree civilized world offers divorce. India and Pakistan could not remain in one Union as dreamt by Mahatma Gandhi due to religious divide, and it is irony that India advocates unitary state to Srilanka where there is also religious divide, and same compelling historical reasons to get separated as the case of India and Pakistan.

 Memorandum given below had been sent to Canadian Prime Minister Mr. Stephen Harper, Norway’s Minister of Environment and International Relations Mr. Erik Solheim, Austrian Federal Chancellor Mr. Werner Faymann, Prime Minister of Republic of Poland Mr. Donald Tusk, President of Republic of Bulgaria Mr.Georgi Parvanov, President of Czech Republic Mr.Ing.Mirek Topolanek, Prime Minister of Estonia Mr.Andrus Ansip, Prime Minister of Iceland Ms.Johanna Sinquroardothic, External Affairs Minister of the Republic of Lithunia Mr.Vygaudas Usackas, The Secretary General of NATO Mr.Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Prime Minister of Republic of Mauritius Mr.Navinchandra Ramgoolam, Prime Minister of Nepal Mr.Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, Singapore President Mr.S.R.Nathan, President of Republic of Cyprus Mr. Me Demetris Christofias, Prime Minister of Namibia Mr.Nahas Angula, Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, President of Brazil Mr.Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, New Zealand Prime Minister Mr. John Key, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Mr. Baldwin Spencer, Prime Minister of Bahamas and leader of Democratic Liberal Party Mr. David Thompson, Prime Minister of Belize Mr. Dean O.Barrow,  External Affairs Minister of Latvia Mr. Maris Rickstins, Foreign Minister of Greece Ms.D.Bakoyannis, Permanent Representative of People’s Republic of China in United Nations Mr.Zhang Yesui, Minister Counselor of the Republic of Crotia in United Nations Mr. Vice Skaracic, Permanent Representative of Costa Rica in United Nations, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Turkey in UN Mr.Baki Ilkin, Permanent Representative of Socialist Republic of Vietnam in UN Mr.Le Luong Minh, Permanent Representative of UK in UN Sir. John Sawers, Permanent Representative of USA in UN Ms.Susan Rice, Permanent Representative of Russian Federation in UN Mr.Vitaly Churkin, Permanent Representative of France in UN Mr.Jean Maurice Ripert etc so far. Dravida Peravai intends to mail to all member country Presidents or Prime Ministers of European Union, NATO, Commonwealth and to all member nations of UN, big or tiny seeking their support for Tamil Eelam independence which also will end Tamil genocide on Earth.

Dravida Peravai believes even if whole of Mullaitheevu falls or the fall of Kilinochi is not the end of Tamils goal for Eelam. During Second World War II Paris fell for the marching armies of Nazi forces, but one man stood like a rock. Charles de Gaulle crossed the English channel, set up the Free French government in Britain with the help of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Using oratory as weapon through BBC he rallied the French around the world, fought the war and regained and liberated France. Even if Tigers are killed, if few men among the Tamil Diaspora, if they have iron will, can form Tamil Eelam Government in exile and continue the war. Nethaji’s attempt failed but Gandhiji’s triumphed; similarly by self-immolation Tamils are proving that they can stir the world’s conscience. The campaign to mobilize support for Tamil Eelam through UN sponsored Plebiscite will have to continue, Dravida Peravai strongly feels.

 After lobbying with world bodies, Dravida Peravai will soon start telling Indian leaders in national and state level that how all the 26 Peace Initiatives failed inch by inch and unless Eelam Tamil clinches Eelam as separate nation, no other way is possible. Jews were scattered all over the world but they supported a Jewish state of Israel. Dravida Peravai supports Eelam as a tiny nation for Tamils. The fiery speeches here on separatism in India is unwanted, and this emotional outbursts remains stumbling block for India to realize the inevitable independence of Eelam, our microphone warriors must not spoil the support that must emanate here by their lungpower and petty politics, Dravida Peravai appeals to Tamil Unity for Tamil Eelam cause.

The identical memorandum is as follows:

Subject: Prayers from Indian Tamils for your country’s intervention in the Security Council or General Council of United Nations to end the genocidal civil war of Srilanka, to send United Nation’s Peace Keeping Force to Srilanka and to consider the independent homeland demand of Tamil Eelam regarding…

Tamils across the world want your nation to redeem Tamils from genocide and to live in peace, and Dravida Peravai, an Indian political party urges you to take up the issue of Tamil genocide in Srilanka and in Indian waters by the Srilankan navy, in the United Nations Security Council and urge United Nations to send a Peace Keeping Force under United Nation’s command to Srilanka’s North and Eastern Provinces. We pray to you and to your Government to urge United Nation to pass a resolution urging the end of civil war launched by the Srilankan Government. India is not yet a Member of the Security Council; hence we are appealing to all current member nations in the Security Council to take up the issue of protecting Tamils from genocide.

The United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide defines the term as: Any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group: (a) Killing members of the group; (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.  We would hand over pages and pages of materials to prove that in all aspects Tamil people in Srilanka are facing genocide, unheard of ever since the days of Adolf Hitler.

The international legal definition of the crime of genocide is found in Articles II and III of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide. Article II describes two elements of the crime of genocide: 1) the mental element, meaning the “intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such”, and 2) the physical element which includes five acts described in sections a, b, c, d and e. A crime must include   both elements to be called “genocide.” Article III described five punishable forms of the crime of genocide: genocide, conspiracy, incitement, attempt and complicity.  Well we just brought this to your notice, since Tamils have a strong case and valid reasons to charge the Srilankan Government with genocide.

Genocide against Tamils is not new. It has been a continuous process. Twenty-six years ago on the 25th of July of 1983 the world watched in horror, the vicious and the violent attacks against the Tamils in Sri Lanka. While the shocking images of burning bodies, gruesome prison massacres and masses of Tamil refugees were flashed across the screen of the world television, the detailed news articles about the murders, rapes and the plight of refugees were started to emerge in the media all over the globe. An extract taken from the Guardian correspondent speaks for itself.

“Smoke from hundreds of shops, offices, warehouses and homes blew idly over Colombo yesterday. Any business, any house belonging to or occupied by a Tamil has been attacked by gangs of goondas and the resulting destruction looks like London after a heavy night’s attention from the Luftwaffe. The sharp smell of destruction fills the nostrils and the roads beneath the feet crunch with broken glass. Cars and Lorries lie at ungainly angles across the footways. In Pettah, the old commercial heart of the city, row after row of sari boutiques, electronic dealers, rice sellers, car parts stores, laid shattered and scarred… government officials yesterday estimated that 20,000 businesses had been attacked in the city.” – The Guardian 28 July 1983

The riots began in retaliation for an ambush of an army patrol in Jaffna that left thirteen Sinhalese soldiers dead. The army immediately retaliated by randomly killing a number of innocent civilians in the Jaffna peninsula.

 This followed by an extensively organized anti-Tamil riot, which initially started in Colombo and soon spread to southern part of Sri Lanka wherever the Tamils lived. Sinhalese rioters in Colombo were provided with voters’ lists containing details of names and addresses to enable them to specifically target the Tamil Community. The police, security forces, Buddhist monks and the State Officials turned a blind eye but encouraged the mobs and in some cases they themselves actively took part in the carnage.

The following statement appeared in The Financial Times is a testament to this. “The violence was vicious and bloody. In street after street in Colombo groups of rioters hit only at shops and factories, as well as homes owned by Tamils. Troops and police (almost exclusively Sinhalese) either joined the rioters or stood idly by. The events were so well organized no one doubts that there was a master list of targets.” – Financial Times, 12 August 1983.

Mobs of angry Sinhalese roamed the streets targeting properties and businesses owned by the Tamils. They chased down and beat any vulnerable people they could find. This lasted for several days and claimed the lives of over 3,000 Tamils. The fellow Sinhalese inmates and the prison guards butchered over 50 Tamils political prisoners.

David Beresford, correspondent to the “The Guardian” newspaper described the prison massacres with the following statement. “While accounts of these massacres are circulating widely among Sri Lanka’s Tamil population, it is the massacres in the Welikada garrison which are attracting the most attention. There is particular interest in circumstances in which two alleged guerrilla leaders were killed. The two men, Sellarasa “Kutimani” Yogachandran, leader of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization and a political writer and Ganeshanathan Jeganathan had been sentenced to death last year for the murder of a policeman.

In speeches from the dock, the two men announced that they would donate their eyes in the hope that they would be grafted on to Tamils who would see the birth of Eelam, the independent state for which they were fighting. Second hand reports from Batticaloa garrison, where the survivors of the Welikada massacre are now being kept, say that the two men were forced to kneel and their eyes gouged out with iron bars before they were killed.

One version has it that Kutimani’s tongue was cut out by an attacker who drank the blood and cried: “I have drunk the blood of a Tiger.”” – 

The Guardian, 10 August 1983

This riot created a mass movement of refugees within the island. Over 100, 000 Tamils fled the island and sought refuge in Europe, North America, New Zealand, Australia and India. The government headed by the President Jayewardene refused to condemn these brutal attacks and did not even release a statement until after four days of mayhem. In 2004 President Chandrika Kumaratunga made just a token apology to the nation. To this day no one has been prosecuted and no compensation was paid to the families who have lost their loved ones or to the refugees who were forced to abandon their properties and businesses.

This pogrom was the final blow for the Tamils, who immediately began an armed struggle to exercise their right to self-determination. Thousands of youth joined the Tamil militant organizations, took up arms and fought against the Sinhalese regime. This in turn gave resurgence to the Tamil rebel organizations especially to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). This upsurge of violence pushed the country into a full-scale civil war.

This civil war has already cost hundreds and thousands of lives. The official figure is around 70,000 but recent estimates suggest over 300,000 mostly Tamil lives. Over million Tamils are internally displaced and further a million Tamils have left the island for the safe havens in the West. Riots left a deep psychological scar between the two major ethnic groups.

Tamil Tigers were transformed from a hand full of part-timers into a powerful and influential guerrilla movement capable of running over army bases manned by over thousands of professional soldiers. Angry Tamil refugees who settled in the West provided the necessary financial backing to the Tamil Tigers. The relationship between the Tamils and Sinhalese community have since further deteriorated. However this pogrom and the ongoing civil war have made the world to acknowledge that the Tamils have legitimate grievances in Sri Lanka.

In 2002 the newly elected government of Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tigers signed a Ceasefire Agreement in February 2002. Both parties held six highly publicized rounds of talks mediated by the Norwegians.

The peace talks were abandoned mainly due the pressure from Sinhalese nationalist coalition parties. Although some progress was made, namely Tamil Tigers agreeing to a federal model as an alternative to an independent Tamil state called Eelam. The current Sri Lankan regime under President Mahinda Rajapaksa is determined to crush the Tamil Tigers. They have pulled out of the Cease Fire Agreement in January 2008 and started a full-scale war in the North and East of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan State has already spent tens of billions of US dollars against fighting the Tamil Tiger rebels. It has allocated a record US $1.5 billion into the war effort this year alone and country’s external debt has increased to US $14 billion.

The human rights situation in Sri Lanka is atrocious. Abductions, disappearances and murders are very common. Sri Lanka has the second highest number of disappearances in the world, ranking only behind Iraq according to the UN.

There is no media freedom any more. The defense ministry has publicly labeled the journalists who cover the war as “traitors”. Within the last 3 years 12 journalists have been killed, 11 of them in government-controlled high security areas. There have been series of abductions and assaults against journalists in Sri Lanka. A senior minister marched into the offices of the state-broadcasting corporation and attacked the news editor in daylight. The opposition party UNP has openly accused the country’s most senior army officer of being behind violent attacks on journalists. So far no one has been brought to court for the attacks and most Sri Lankan believe that security forces are behind these attacks. The World Association of Newspapers has ranked Sri Lanka as the third most dangerous country in the world for media workers. (Iraq and Somalia are ranked 1 and 2 respectively.) Recently BBC had to shutdown its telecast because of Srilankan Government’s threats against free and fair reporting.

In 2004 President Chandrika Kumaratunga made a token apology accompanied by nominal compensation to some of the victims. Just 72.3 million rupees [$US702, 000] were promised. To this day no one knew whether this was paid or not for the injuries and destruction Tamils suffered. Leaving aside the cost in lives, the loss of property alone in 1983 has been estimated to run into billions of rupees. Tamils since then have lost thousands and thousands of lives and millions and millions of dollars worth properties.

Not only Srilankan Tamils but also Indian Tamils who were and are fishing in Indian waters are killed every now and then, just because they are Tamils. This amply proves the “genocide” intent inherent in the minds of Srilankan governments of past and present.

A Working Group chaired by Goran Backstrand, of the Swedish Red Cross at the Second Consultation on Ethnic Violence, Development and Human Rights, Netherlands, in February 1985 concluded: “There was a general consensus that within Sri Lanka today, the Tamils do not have the protection of the rule of law, that the Sri Lankan government presents itself as a democracy in crisis, and that neither the government, nor its friends abroad, appreciate the serious inroads on democracy which have been made by the legislative, administrative, and military measures which are being taken. The extreme measures, which are currently being adopted by the government inevitably, provoke extreme reactions from the other side… The normal life of the (Tamil) population of the North has been seriously affected. People either have great difficulty or find it completely impossible to continue with their employment and there is a severe shortage of food and basic necessities Many Tamils are daily fleeing across the Palk Straits to Southern India. The continuing colonization of Tamil areas with Sinhalese settlers is exacerbating the situation… and the country is on the brink of civil war.” This is 1985, now we are in 2009. Situation had worsened. Tamils are being made into slaves at gunpoint.

The Government of India and its bureaucrats are focusing their attention towards the Indo-Srilankan Pact of July 1987, and hoping its revival will bring relief to Eelam Tamils. They conveniently forget the past and are indulging in chasing the mirage. The Indian Government must have known that Srilanka is always bent upon a military solution and is never for conflict resolution. The negotiations between 30th August 1985 to 19th December 1986 were going on, but during that period also Srilankan army was continuing its barbarian assaults on Eelam Tamils. India could not do anything. To teach Srilanka a lesson Government of India provided arms to Tamil militants and simultaneously lobbied among international community pinpointing the human rights violation and genocidal designs of Srilankan Government. In the middle of 1987 India intervened to provide humanitarian assistance and air lifted food supplies to Jaffna peninsula. The airlift coupled with international pressure forced Srilanka to stop the hostilities in 1987.

Indo-Srilanka accord paved the way for temporarily merging the Northern and Eastern provinces. To implement the accord then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi sent the Indian Peace Keeping Force. Simultaneously the now hated LTTE agreed for cessation of hostilities and began handing over of arms to IPKF. Then who broke the pact? Who triggered the unrest again? Who is responsible? Let us all impartially look back. General Amnesty was granted under the accord by the Srilankan Government “to political and other prisoners then held in custody under the Prevention of Terrorism Act and other emergency laws, and to combatants, as well as to those persons accused, charged or convicted under these laws.” If only Srilankan Government had adhered to this general amnesty, the conflict could have been resolved. But Srilankan Government suddenly withheld amnesty to 1250 political prisoners, saying amnesty does not apply towards offences committed in areas other than Northeast provinces. This culminated in LTTE suspending surrender of arms and led to LTTE and IPKF clashes.

 Srilanka is known for their doubles speak. India never learnt lessons. After bartering away of Kacha Theevu islands to please and placate Srilanka, India dreamt that goodwill would prevail between both countries. The Kacha Theevu agreement foolishly drafted admits the rights of Indian fishermen to dry their nets in Kacha Theevu, but that does not mean Indians can fish near Kacha Theevu interpreted Srilanka in sadistic manner. By twisting the real intention of an agreement between two countries Srilanka till date goes on killing spree. It is national shame for India that it fails to protect the lives of Indian Tamil fishermen. India that seeks the handing over of Pakistani citizens who perpetuated terrorist attacks in Mumbai should have and must have sought the handing over of the Srilankan navy men to try them in Indian courts for the killings of Indian Tamils. Neither India sought compensation for the more than 1000 Indian Tamil fishermen killed by Srilankan navy. Srilanka cannot claim that it is killing terrorists. India cannot remain blind towards the killing of its own citizens. In this situation it is the duty of Security Council members to act fast to end killings of Indian Tamils and Srilankan Tamils both by Srilankan Neo-Nazi warmongers.

The Srilankan Government is charged with genocide. It cannot justify the killings of Indian Tamil fishermen, who are not terrorists. Any Government would have sued Srilanka in International Court of Justice to regain the Kacha Theevu Island.  India we are urging simultaneously here to take up the killings of Indian Tamils to United Nations. India that proclaims it handed over dossiers to more than 100 countries with regard to Mumbai terrorist attack, we are urging simultaneously to send dossiers about the excesses and brutality of Srilankan navy, which kills almost once in every few days just because they are Tamils. Sinhalese hate Tamils like Nazis hatred for Jews, hence the Indian Tamil too is killed, without an iota of doubt this stands proven.

Indian Government or other Nations that show adamancy to accept the separate state demand of Tamils have now started to get shocked by the genocidal war unleashed by Srilanka aimed at ethnic cleansing. This ethnic cleansing had been the single goal pursued by various Srilankan governments and political parties for nearly half a century.

Now l beg you to read what Sinhalese Members of Parliament had spoken in their country’s Parliament. Can any Parliamentarian speak openly with impunity in any of the Parliaments or Senates of this Earth, in the manner in which Sinhalese Members of Parliament had spoken in past?

Sinhalese Buddhist Member of Parliament from Kundasale Mr.D.M.Chandrapala spoke in July 1981 in Srilankan Parliament: Quote “Now Sir…. What should we do to this so-called leader of Tamils? If I were given powers, I would tie him to the nearest concrete post in this building and horse whips him till I raise him to his wits. Thereafter let anybody do anything he likes, throw him into the Biere [lake] or into the sea, because he will be so mutilated that I do not think there will be life in him “

This is the Srilankan Parliament under which India wants Eelam Tamils to elect members to hear on how they should be killed if they demand anything legitimate. Is it not subjugating Eelam Tamils to slavery in an Earth where Negroes were emancipated from slavery?

Mr.G.V.Punchinilame, Sinhalese Buddhist Member of Parliament from Ratnapura ventured to explain in Parliament on how cruelly Tamils should be tortured. Quote: “Since yesterday morning, we have heard in this honorable house about the various types of punishment that should be meted out to them. [Tamil Parliamentary leaders]. The M.P for Panadura, Dr.Neville Fernando said that there was a punishment during the regime of Sinhalese kings, namely two areca nut posts are erected, the two posts are then drawn towards each other with a rope, then tie the each feet of the offender to each post and then cut the rope which will result in tearing apart the body. These people [Tamil M.P’s] should be punished that way.

Some members suggested that they should be put to death on the stake, some other members said their passports should be confiscated, still other members said they should be made to stand at Galle Face and shot. The people of this country want and the government is prepared to inflict these punishments on these people.

Before violence erupted or militarist movements took inception, when purely Tamils were pursuing democratic path demanding state autonomy through peaceful means, Srilankan Parliament had debated on how Tamil Members of Parliament should be killed and tortured. Such hatred possessed only by their predecessors, the Aryan Nazis, is inbuilt in the minds of Aryan Sinhalese. Cruelty is their creed. Barbarianism is their gospel. Those who are clandestinely aiding and abetting to crush whatever little shield Tamils have are forcing them to go to an open air concentration camp. President Barrack Hussein Obama who felt ashamed of the inhuman behavior of American forces in Iraq is closing such dens of torture, whereas if countries of the Security Council do not act in time the entire Northern Province of Srilanka will be made an open garrison. The talk of political solution is the cruel joke of this century. To teach cannibals to behave in civilized manner if efforts are put, it will yield results. But the Sinhalese who inscribed their language letter Sri with hot irons in the forcibly exposed bare chests of Tamil women in fifties, Sinhalese who could pluck the eyes of freedom fighters within their prison and to crush it with their boots in sadistic arrogance, will torture the entire Tamil race. World watches helplessly when civilians are killed in so called safe zones. World watches while international agencies could not reach Tamils with medicines and food for internally displaced peoples. If under unitary Srilanka, Tamils are forced to live it will only be a life worse than a slave, and whoever moots that idea for whatever geo-political compulsion, will be placed as abettors of genocide before future generations and in history.

Before concluding, it is my duty to recall the words of then Srilankan President as published in Daily Telegraph of Srilanka on 11th July 1983. Mr.J.R.Jayawardane with whom Mr. Rajiv Gandhi inked an accord in 1987 had spoken in 1983, as follows:

" I am not worried about the opinion of the Tamil people, now we cannot think of them, not about their lives or opinion. The more you put pressure in the North, the happier will the Sinhalese people be here. Really if I starve the Tamils out, the Sinhalese people will be happy.”

Let world powers with maturity ponder the imponderable solution many have in its sleeves and like parrots repeated about a political solution within the parameters of unitary state.

The freedom movements all over the world have succeeded even in this century. In India people who completely ignore their own history, may not be aware of what is happening elsewhere in the world. But it is needless to tell you that since 1990, 33 new countries have been created. If such being the reality, in what way it is unthinkable to demand an independent nation of Tamil Eelam?

The dissolution of the USSR and Yugoslavia in the early 1990s caused the creation of most of the newly independent states. Fifteen new countries became independent with the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. Most of these countries declared independence a few months preceding the fall of the Soviet Union in late 1991.Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine. If such a great country Soviet Russia could break and 15 countries gain independence, in what way Srilanka is a super power and its territory should not be broken into two countries.

Yugoslavia dissolved in the early 1990s into five independent countries. Bosnia and Herzegovina, February 29, 1992, Croatia, June 25, 1991,Macedonia (officially The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) declared independence on September 8, 1991 but wasn't recognized by the United Nations until 1993 and the United States and Russia in February of 1994, Serbia and Montenegro, (also known as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia), April 17, 1992, Slovenia, June 25, 1991.September 17, 1991 - The Marshall Islands was part of the Trust Territory of Pacific Islands (administered by the United States) and gained independence as a former colony.

September 17, 1991 - Micronesia, previously known as the Caroline Islands, became independent from the United States.  Dravida Peravai appeals to the President of America Mr.Barrack Hussein Obama and Secretary of State Ms.Hillary Clinton to look at their own country’s willingness to grant independence to Marshall Islands and Caroline islands. If a great power like USA could permit two small islands to become independent, then what is wrong in advocating independence for Tamil Eelam?

May 20, 2002 - East Timor (Timor-Leste) declared independence from Portugal in 1975 but did not become independent from Indonesia until 2002. Now President of Timor Leste (East Timor) Jose Ramos-Horta, a Nobel Laureate had volunteered to help in mediation between Sinhalese and Eelam Tamils.

June 3, 2006 - Montenegro was part of Serbia and Montenegro (also known as Yugoslavia) but gained independence after a referendum. June 5, 2006 - Serbia became its own entity after Montenegro split. February 17, 2008 - Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia.

There are the world's seventeen independent smallest countries, each contain less than 200 square miles in area. If we combined the land area of these 17 countries, we would have a country just a bit larger than the state Rhode Island. Even tiny Singapore is too big for this list (its 246 square miles)! Vatican City - 0.2 square miles - The world’s smallest state, the Vatican has a population of 770, none of whom are permanent residents. The tiny country which surrounds St. Peter's Basilica is the spiritual center for the world's Roman Catholics (over 1 billion strong). Also known as the Holy See, Vatican City is surrounded by Rome, Italy.  It is needless to further produce evidence as to small countries gaining independence and world acknowledging their independence. We see the Member Countries in the Security Council, NATO, European Union and Commonwealth and all members of United Nations as the saviors of Tamil race. The countries in United Nations which had helped even the tiny countries on their pursuit to wards independence, Dravida Peravai urges must render a helping hand to establish Tamil Eelam, which alone will bring lasting solution and everlasting peace. http://www.tamilsydney.com/content/view/1852/37/