Scottish Independence Referendum inspires Eelam Tamils! Call for Referendum in Sri Lanka based on legal & moral grounds!!
A special commendation is due to the British Prime Minister, who consented to the conduct of a referendum and for his
engagement politically and intellectually in support of his position.
We also take note of the fact that not only did the British Prime Minister consent to the referendum, but also that
there was no opposition to the referendum from any quarter of the international community. Referendums have a rich
history in international relations.
1. It is notable that 34 states have gained independence since 1990, and their emergence has not resulted in the
disruption of the stability of the international order as forecast at the time of their birth. On the contrary, it has
contributed to peace and security in the respective regions.
2. British left Ceylon in 1948 without giving back to the Tamils control of their territory or sufficient
constitutional safeguards to their security.
3. On this momentous occasion of a referendum being held in Scotland to determine the future of the United Kingdom,
we call upon all civilized nations and members of the UN to listen to the cries of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka, being
subject to brutality and genocide, and pave the way for a referendum about their political future in the island.
The Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) congratulates the people of Scotland, the Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom, Hon David Cameron, and the First Minister of Scotland, Hon Alex Salmond, on the historic referendum
being held today.
A special commendation is due to the British Prime Minister, who consented to the conduct of a referendum and for his
engagement politically and intellectually in support of his position. While we do not take any position with respect to
the outcome of the referendum, we recognize that the primary motivation for a call for independence by the Scottish was
their discontentment with the economic policies of the British government as well as a real or perceived slight by the
English.
As Tamils from the island of Sri Lanka, we cannot help but note that the Scottish call for the referendum was not due to
the Scottish People being subjected to genocide or to gross and systematic violations of their human rights on account
of their nationality. We note that the Scottish People lived in their own kingdom prior to the Acts of Union 1707 which
united them with England. The parallel for this with the Tamil People of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) is striking. Tamils also
lived under a kingdom of their own until the colonial powers united the three kingdoms in the island of Ceylon they had
conquered for administrative convenience.
We also take note of the fact that not only did the British Prime Minister consent to the referendum, but also that
there was no opposition to the referendum from any quarter of the international community.
Referendums have a rich history in international relations. Starting from the French Revolution through the dissolution
of Norway and Sweden, and most recently in Kosovo and South Sudan, referendums gave a means to the people to decide
their political future.
Like the Scots, the Tamils were a distinct people who were forced together with the Sinhalese by the British colonials
for administrative convenience, and the British left Ceylon in 1948 without giving back to the Tamils control of their
territory or sufficient constitutional safeguards to their security. Since then a brutal genocide has been inflicted
upon them unabatedly. An end to that continuing genocide would be through a referendum that establishes the
self-determination of the Tamils, the issue being whether they desire to live in a separate state or within the present
united Sri Lanka.
The Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka, due to ongoing systematic and pervasive human rights violations, did consider the
1977 elections as a referendum for the establishment of an independent and sovereign state of Tamil Eelam and voted for
it overwhelmingly.
Following the Mullivaaikaal Genocide in 2009, the Tamil Diaspora has been calling for a fresh referendum on the future
of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka. The right of the Tamils within Sri Lanka to continue to demand secession through
democratic means has been criminalized by the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of the country.
It is left to the Tamil Diaspora and the international community to argue for the right of the Tamils to determine
through a referendum whether or not they wish to end their continuing repression by creating a separate state for them.
Under the leadership of Chief Minister, Hon Ms Jeyalalitha, the Tamil Nadu State Assembly in India has passed a
resolution calling for a referendum to allow the Tamils both inside and outside the island of Sri Lanka to decide their
political future.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees the right to vote, should be applied universally. Moreover,
the international community’s selective application of international law contributes to the lack of international
governance as presently unfolding in front of our eyes in Sri Lanka.
It is notable that 34 states have gained independence since 1990, and their emergence has not resulted in the disruption
of the stability of the international order as forecast at the time of their birth. On the contrary, it has contributed
to peace and security in the respective regions.
Therefore, on this momentous occasion of a referendum being held in Scotland to determine the future of the United
Kingdom, we call upon all civilized nations and members of the UN to listen to the cries of the Tamil people in Sri
Lanka, being subject to brutality and genocide, and pave the way for a referendum about their political future in the
island.
ENDS