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GTF welcomes President’s call for engagement with Diaspora

21 September 2021 07:05 pm - 14     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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Global Tamil Forum (GTF), a leading Diaspora group, said President Gotabaya Rajapaksa wanting to engage with the Tamil diaspora is certainly a progressive move. 

Asserting that it welcomes the move , the GTF, however, asked why the President had a sudden change of mind .

It says , “However, when meeting requests are made by democratically elected representatives of Tamil people (TNA) in Sri Lanka to meet with the President, which has been overdue and being deferred with flimsy excuses, now from New York, he has declared that he wants to engage with us, Tamil diaspora.
 
We wonder why the sudden change of mind, when only six months ago, in March 2021, his government gazetted proscribing organisations like the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) and individuals like my-self as terrorists.

The first impediment that the President will have is that he will have to somehow justify his actions or the seemed U-turn to his constituency.

The GTF didn’t stop its engagement with the people of Sri Lanka just because of ill-advised action of this administration proscribing us. 

Even recently, we facilitated multi-million US dollars worth of medical equipment to assist in the fight against Covid 19 pandemic, not just in the north and east of the country but in the entire Sri Lanka.

Just for the record, we recently did a calculation of the potential loss of foreign currency income for Sri Lanka due to the proscription of organisations and persons being over US $300m per annum. 

This is in addition to the professional help and assistance that many organisations and people used to render.

GTF met with President Maithripala Sirisena twice in London (2015/2018) and once in Berlin (2016). We are ready to talk to anybody if grievances of our people, in fact, grievances of all peoples of Sri Lanka can be resolved.

As for the domestic mechanisms that the President wants to talk to us about, in transitional justice, there are judicial and non-judicial processes and mechanisms. 

We will be very happy to engage and discuss about the latter but as for the former, for judicial mechanisms, in the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution 30/1 which describes what exactly needs to happen. 

If the President so wishes, he can engage the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the relevant UN bodies and special mandate holders (Special Rapporteurs) and they will be very willing to progress these as described in the already adopted resolutions,”


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  Comments - 14

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  • shan Tuesday, 21 September 2021 08:10 PM

    Dollar thirst

    BUSHEL Tuesday, 21 September 2021 08:13 PM

    But GTF too should not demand extreme terms

    Truth matter Tuesday, 21 September 2021 08:30 PM

    There is no other alternative but to engage with all minorities . That is a good and wise move.

    Ranawruwa Tuesday, 21 September 2021 09:53 PM

    Because of dollar shortage lol

    Forward thinker Tuesday, 21 September 2021 09:18 PM

    It will never happen. Once he is in SL the yellow robes will raise objections to any form of communication. Don’t we all know that. Sri Lankan’s must and should understand we have two languages, two ethnicity, two major religions, two cultures, two distinct traditional lands that was amalgamated by the British, two types of legal laws. Each side should accept the other. Will it happen? If so the cows will fly !!!

    vince Wednesday, 22 September 2021 11:17 AM

    Three actually and many ethnicities.

    Erie Tuesday, 21 September 2021 11:21 PM

    Competition for the tna and other parties. Inviting further Chaos from outside.

    Foreign observer Wednesday, 22 September 2021 01:39 AM

    Two state solution in one country will bring lasting peace in Sri Lanka

    Kumara Wednesday, 22 September 2021 01:50 AM

    GTF cannot bypass UNHRC's Resolutions if they want to satisfy World Tamils including the Sri Lankans.

    cheers Wednesday, 22 September 2021 02:49 AM

    President be careful these fellows are terrorist and they destroyed innocent lives and the country for 30 years. If they want to engage without any unwanted demands then it s a different issue

    Ram Wednesday, 22 September 2021 02:55 AM

    This is to cause street protest put off at venues President is due to attend. So far no protests and he wants to return sans facing any protest

    Demuni Uduwara Wednesday, 22 September 2021 03:59 AM

    GTF- Gota pretended to be a thespian at the General Assembly auditorium!

    N Andasena Wednesday, 22 September 2021 06:58 AM

    Diaspora would have rocks in their heads to believe anything that passes through the lips of a humbug. Two years later, the supporters in SL are waiting for promises to be fulfilled.

    Ups Wednesday, 22 September 2021 07:44 AM

    If the intention is to help people to develop their economy,education,cultural issues,agriculture so on, they are very welcome, but coming with hidden agenda to push them to terrorism, destroy education better not come, lives are more valuable than dollars


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