Stand with the Victims of Vankalai and Pesalai !

Stand with the Victims of Vankalai and Pesalai !

By: World News Today – London

Source: International Association of Tamil Academics - June 17, 2006

IATA Appeals to the College of Catholic Bishops Across the World

The President of the International Association of Tamil Academics reported that he is mailing out over 3000 letters to all Catholic bishops across the world urging them “to stand on the side of the victims of Vankalai and Pesalai. IATA states that in an organized pogrom perpetrated by the Buddhist government of Sri Lanka where innocent Tamil children and helpless women and unarmed men are being selectively slaughtered, when churches are torched and priests are arbitrarily arrested and shot to death, there is no place for neutrality. In such instances of murder and mayhem, neutrality goes only to support the aggressor; one must take sides and stand with the victims. This is perfectly in line with what your Master and Lord Jesus Christ has shown by word and action.” We reproduce below extracts of IATA’s letter.

Sinhalese must Stop the Brutalization of Tamil Catholics

- International Association of Tamil Academics

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Having enacted a make-belief act of blatant brutalization of innocent Sinhala civilians in the claymore attack on a Bus in Kebitigollawe, allegedly with the help of Tamil mercenary stooges from the Karuna faction and other armed groups, the Sinhala government under Mahinda Rajapakshe has unleashed a reign of terror on the Tamil Catholics in Mannar, Pesalai and Vankalai. We join the Catholics around the world in condemning unreservedly this dastardly act of wanton destruction by the government of Sri Lanka whose empty treasuries are filled with money in the form of loan and alms from countries that have a tax-paying Catholic majority. It is unfortunate that the European Union and Canada recently decided to name the sole representatives of the Eelam Tamil community as terrorists, thereby deliberately offending the 80 million or so Tamils living across the world and encouraging the Sinhala government to pursue the reckless path of Tamil genocide.

The London based International Association of Tamil Academics (IATA), draws its membership from over a hundred nations in Europe, North and Central America, Asia and Africa and IATA has unequivocally condemned the double standards maintained by the international community under the bogus banner of neutrality and national interests. It is our considered view that the international community has consistently acted against the powerless and the poor and has persistently stood by those who mercilessly and brutally oppress the poor and vulnerable. The recent massacre of Tamil civilians in Allepiddy and Vankalai were ordered by the government of Sri Lanka with the moral audacity that was provided by the ban on the Tamils by EU and Canada. Indirectly these countries have been condoning the government of Sri Lanka that their chosen path of Tamil genocide is commendable. The gory and pictures of the massacre of Tamil families in Allaipiddy and Vankalai by the Sri Lankan navy were graphically portrayed on millions of computer screens thanks to the modern information revolution. Through their diplomatic channels as well as their trade and other agencies the so called international community was well informed of this brutality, but the international community which knew everything did nothing, absolutely nothing to stop the carnage of innocent Tamil children, men and women by a government whose ministers and accomplices are accorded red-carpet welcome by these very nations.

The poor and powerless of the world have no place to go except to the sacred space of religion. IATA therefore appeals to the College of Catholic Bishops across the world to raise their voice in favor of their brother bishops and priests and the pitiyable plight of their Catholic faithful, who are intimidated and subjected to terror tactics and psychological torture by the government of Sri Lanka. We are annexing here copies of photographs and statements made by the Tamil bishops of Sri Lanka on the most recent pogrom perpetrated by the Sri Lankan navy in the Catholic Church of Our Lady of Victory in Pesalai which has taken a toll of forty eight innocent lives in the nave of the Church. It is our fervent hope that as servants of Christ, you will stand with the victims as