The British Tamil Forum (BTF), one of the most powerful voices of the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora, has described the first draft of the US resolution on the rights situation in SL as a “slap on the face” of the long suffering Tamils at the UNHRC here on Tuesday.
“The text released on Monday is a slap in the face of the victims, who await justice and a kick in the back for the Tamils of North and East Sri Lanka, who are trying to get on with their everyday lives in the face of escalating colonisation and militarisation of their lands,” the BTF said.
“The whole narrative of the draft takes away the focus from the root cause of the conflict. As member states must be aware, behind diplomatic terms like religious minorities, accountability, truth and justice, NPC powers and land disputes commission lies an indisputably ethnocratic dimension to this conflict. This is not explicitly recognised in the draft resolution,” the BTF said. “Although the two previous resolutions in 2012 and 2013 fell short of the Tamils’ demand for truth and justice, these did rekindle some faith among the Tamil people that the international community would eventually deliver them justice. The latest draft has completely shattered this hope,” the British Tamil Forum said.