We will be the voice for the voiceless Tamil masses until they attain freedom, dignity, and a voice that is not oppressed in the island of Sri Lanka.!

Interview


‘13th Amendment is too little and too late’


David Popalapillai, spokesperson for CTC

The Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) is a non-profit organisation which serves as the voice of Tamil Canadians. Headquartered in Toronto, the CTC has 11 chapters across the country and an elected board of directors. The non-partisan organisation works as the community’s spokesperson on the municipal, provincial, federal and international levels. Its chapters can be found in Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax, London, Edmonton, Vancouver, Waterloo, Winnipeg, Windsor and Regina.

David Poopalapillai is the national spokesperson for the Canadian Tamil Congress:

By Ranjit Jayasundera
Our Foreign Correspondent

Q: How well are you informed on what is happening in Sri Lanka?

A: We are very well-informed about what is happening in Sri Lanka. We have our own sources to get first-hand information.

Q: Do you expect IDP camps to be cleared by the end of 2009?

A: No, not at all. In May of 2009, the Sri Lankan government made a pledge to return the bulk of the 280,000 civilians confined in internment camps to their homes within 180 days. But more than 130 days have passed since that pledge, and the government has only released around five per cent. The slow progress is disturbing and indicate the will for reconciliation is lacking. Let me remind you that the vast majority are civilians who are being held in violation of international law. No other country in the world holds hundreds of thousands of displaced people in de facto prisons. International aid organisations have estimated that at least 50,000 are children. What have these children done wrong to grow up in overcrowded and unsanitary camps behind barbed wire and thousands of military guards?

Q: What is the Tamil diaspora’s future now in Sri Lanka with the war being over?

A: We will be the voice for the voiceless Tamil masses until they attain freedom, dignity, and a voice that is not oppressed in the island of Sri Lanka.

Q: What do they see as the future for the Tamil struggle, are they willing to reconcile themselves with the central government?

A: First of all, any reconciliation comes only after the perpetrators of mass atrocities are identified and brought to justice accordingly. In Sri Lanka, there are no signs that the perpetrators, who committed inhumane acts on innocent Tamil civilians for more than three decades, will be brought to justice. Until then, reconciliation with the central government will be difficult.

Q: Thirty years of armed struggle has decimated the Tamil community, they are now a smaller minority, what do you see as their future?

A: The world always revolves around a better tomorrow and a bright future, and as such, we believe the Tamil community will be freed one day.

Q: Are members of the diaspora willing to return; if not the Tamil community in Sri Lanka is surely doomed?

A: As long as the persecution of the Tamil minority continues in this country, it’s hard for anybody to return.

Q: You have told The Sunday Leader in the past that Tamils feel like second class citizens in their own country, is this feeling still the same?

A: Yes. The mere fact that 270,000 civilians, including 50,000 children, are being held in internment camps in violation of international law underlines how much Tamils are second class citizens in Sri Lanka.

Q: When do you feel that Tamils will stop feeling second class?

A: When Tamils are given a voice in the political spectrum and are given opportunities to look after their own affairs especially in the north and the east.

Q: Is there more the Canadian government can do to assist Tamils in Sri Lanka?

A: Canada is a world-renowned peacemaker and has shown the world how multicultural societies can co-exist peacefully with a free and fair society. They can bring their expertise to this war-torn country and help Sri Lanka to achieve a lasting peace.

Q: Do you expect the 13th Amendment or the 13th plus to redress the Tamil question in Sri Lanka?

A: The 13th Amendment is too little and too late. If the Sri Lankan government wants to address the real issues, they need to go beyond the 13th Amendment.


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