Dr. Ellyn Shander/USA: "We will never stop fighting for justice"
Full Text of Speech by Dr. Ellyn Shander MD at the “Tamils Against Genocide”, Washington DC rally, Feb 20, 2009:
VANAKAM
First I want to say how honored I am to speak at this rally.
I want to thank the organizers of this event who have brought us all together. I am so impressed with the number of people , who have traveled great distances, taken off from work, and put their lives aside to be here.. Look at us, thousands showing up in solidarity and giving voice to the Tamil people in this terrible crises.
WE have the power to change the present anguish and despair in Sri Lanka! WE WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!!!
[Dr. Ellyn Shander at a "Tamils Againt Genocide" media briefing held at National Press Club, Washington DC, Feb 20, 2009]
I dedicate this speech
- to all those who have died in the senseless violence since 1948,
- to all the Tamil victims of targeted persecution and murder,
- to all the brave heroes that have fallen in the struggle for equality AND
- to all the Tamils in SL, who can’t be here today and are suffering now in unbearable circumstances.
Let us take a moment of silence to pray for the restoration of hope, peace and dignity to the Tamil people of Sri Lanka. (Silence)
Most of you know me, as an American doctor, I went to the Northern coast of Sri Lanka after the tsunami and helped in a fishing village north of Killonochi. After my second trip back to the North, the government broke the ceasefire. Since then the war on the Tamil civilians has increased to a heartbreaking devastation.
The genocide of the Tamil people is personal for me.
I met hundreds of beautiful people in the North, but now it is over run by government savages.
My memories of Tamil children playing in the villages are covered with death and destruction. What kind of evil government kills its own civilians???
Saddam Hussein, govt of Sudan, Burma and the GOSL. All members of the Killing club.
We have all been shocked , saddened and devastated at the news that comes daily from the Vanni region.
-Incendiary bombs burning whole families as they sleep,
-civilians lying on the streets bleeding to death.,
-forced abortions of Tamil women,
-torture and rape in the new concentration camps for civilian Tamils who escape to Vavunia.
This ethnic cleansing of the Tamils is spreading as a bloodstain across Tamil land. It is masterminded by the President of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, guilty of war crimes against the Tamil people.
The Sri Lankan government apologizes to no one.
They do not say that civilian deaths are “collateral damage,”
They don’t apologize for using cluster bombs on civilian areas,
They don’t apologize for using incendiary bombs on densely packed civilians,
They don’t apologize for threatening doctors to leave,
They don’t apologize for ordering the UN and all NGOS to leave,
They don’t apologize for closing off the whole area under attack from journalists or observers,
They don’t apologize for starving and killing over 300,000 Tamil civilians who have done nothing wrong except be born Tamil in the country of Sri Lanka.
The similarity to the Jews being killed in Germany is chilling.
The GOSL is acting just like the Nazi regime with plans to exterminate Tamils !!
And just as we can’t imagine the GOSL’s evil to get worse, he orders the shelling of civilian hospitals and then states openly that it was justified!!
These cowards claim they are waging a war against terror.
That is insane… just look at the pictures of the casualties. Old people, women and children. They are not killing terrorists , they are using this an excuse to ELIMIANTE EVERY TAMIL THEY CAN GET THEIR HANDS ON. This is genocide.!!!!
But one thing the GOSL never counted on was us!!
The Tamil Diaspora and friends.
Look around at your neighbor. Look at the faces of the other people in this crowd. You are looking at the faces of people who are dedicated and loyal to truth and integrity for the Tamil people.
The time to accuse us as terrorists is over! We are thousands strong as humanitarians.!!
All of you who come out and tirelessly write letters, organize rallies, come here to march and shout , AND send photos to journalists: all to make sure this genocide can not be hidden, can not be buried, and cannot continue!! We will make sure that the world knows what is happening to the Tamils.
WE WILL NEVER BE SILENCED! AND
WE WILL NEVER STOP FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE.
The GOSL never thought we would show up and expose their lies, but here we are: and in this darkest hour we will continue to make sure that people SEE what is happening.. THEY CAN NO LONGER HIDE TAMIL GENOCIDE, by accusing us of being terrorist supporters.
Even if they try to kill every Tamil in Sri Lanka and take their land.
We will not let them succeed in extinguishing the Tamils.
Because in this darkness, we will fight for the Tamils to be a presence in the world and never be forgotten.
WE .. you and I can do this.
In these darkest hours, we will collectively move to our highest selves and say to those Sinhalese Nazis.
YOU WILL NEVER KILL THE COLLECTIVE TAMIL SPIRIT.
WE WILL SHOUT TO STOP GENOCIDE NOW!
AND WE WILL REBUILD!
Although there is silence in Sri Lanka
We will never be silenced
Although they control Tamils there
We will never be controlled here.
Although they are torturing and killing Tamils there.
They can never kill our collective regroup and stay on the highest moral ground.
WE HAVE GOD ON OUR SIDE, as we come here today: to the capital of our great country and ask for help
President Obama we have come to you for help
Secretary of state Clinton we have come to you for help.
Pres Obama your words on your inauguration day spoke directly to the heart of the Tamil people’s struggle!!
You said:
“We must carry forward the precious gift, the noble idea, passed on from generation to generation. The God given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.”
Pres Obama we are asking you to make that pledge to the Tamil people.
We need your help!
Pres Obama: We have come here today thousands strong to tell the government butchers and masterminds of the Tamil final solution.
We will never stop fighting for the Tamil people, no matter where and when it is. You cannot break our spirit..
And on inauguration day, we heard your words Pres Obama, mirror ours
You said:
“And to those who seek to advance their aims by……slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that, "Our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken. You cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you."
President Obama we are asking you to make that pledge to the Tamil people.
We need your help!
From the worst violent struggles have come free nations.
The US in the revolutionary war
Israel in the war of independence
Etria from Ethiopia
Kosovo and on and on.
And as we saw after WW2, the worse mass extermination of a people, 6 million and yet the Jewish state was born from the ashes.
Know this, the Tamils will rise from these ashes as well.
President Obama we heard you say to governments like the GOSL
To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history,
At this rally today we say to you. …Mahinda Rajapaksa … you are on the wrong side of history! We will overcome you!
President Obama we are asking you to make that pledge to the Tamil people.
We need your help!
PLEASE insist on an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
Please send an international presence to SL to bear witness and stop the genocide of an entire people before it is too late.
Please pressure the GOSL to open the conflict areas to humanitarian aid, international journalists and human rights activists.
Sometimes in life we get the rare opportunity to fight for integrity, and truth, and we are forced to go outside, really outside, our comfort zone. That is when it is a privilege to do service for a people and a cause.
Tamils worldwide and their friends, we have been given this privilege.
We demand that the Sri Lankan government stop the genocide…..and
We demand that the international community pressure this Nazi regime to stop the ethnic cleansing and send in humanitarian aid. It is time for the Tamil people to have their own state
But in this fight, we need help.. and once again Pres Obama we found a promise of hope in your words on January 20th. You said:
“know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.”
President Obama we are asking you to make that pledge to an independent Tamil nation.
We need your help!
And finally, President Obama you said on Jan 20th in front of millions of Americans and the entire world that
“this is a new era of responsibility …on the part of every American, …we ( must) be …., firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character than giving our all to a difficult task.”
Mr. President .. the Tamils are facing a very difficult task.. stopping the final solution .a genocide ..from a madness that is stalking their country.
You speak about giving America’s all to a difficult task.
Please,
President Obama we are asking you to make that pledge to the Tamil people.
We need your help!
And finally to all of you here today ….let me say, that I have met Tamil men, women and children. teens and elders from,
Sri Lanka, Canada, America, England, India and even Australia.
And what has impressed me most was their
Strength of character,
The tenderness of their hearts, and
The courage to go on under unspeakable sadness about the situation back home,
so one thing I know for sure
Tamils the world over and their friends
Will never give up the struggle
Tamils the world over and their friends
Will try and save every Tamil possible
Tamils the world over and their friends
Will overcome this darkness
And then Tamils the world over and their friends
Will rebuild in our hearts and then on the ground
A FREE INDEPENDANT STATE CALLED TAMIL EELAM
Thank you
[Dr. Ellyn Shander MD of Connecticut, USA is a humanitarian activist]
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