London conference explores nature of land grabs in Tamil homeland

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 February 2014, 10:50 GMT] Academics, legal experts, activists, journalists, and Eezham Tamil politicians gathered in London to discuss Sri Lankan state facilitated land grabs in the Eezham Tamils homeland, its nature, its effects, and possible solutions, at a conference on Saturday !hile all of the presenters "ere in consensus that land grabs in the Tamil homeland "as a phenomena that "as a genuine and pressing issue, many expressed their support for a strong international campaign to put a halt to this Like"ise, some of the participants also criticised the international community#s silence and complicity in the process There "as also heated debate on "hether the process could be termed $genocide%, "ith former &' official and (remen)**T judge +r +enis ,alliday along "ith Tamil activists from both the presenters and the audience arguing in its favour Speaking at t e !riti" Tamil" F#rum $!TF% #rgani"ed &#n'eren&e, (nurad a Mittal, and )ndian a&ti*i"t ba"ed in t e +S, #pined t at +,, +S and #t er &#untrie" t at a*e aided t e G#Smu"t pay reparati#n" t# t e Tamil" . # .ere a''e&ted by t e .ar and t at Tamil" " #uld take up t i" &ampaign/ )n an e0&lu"i*e inter*ie. t# TamilNet, " e "aid t at 1T e g#*ernment #' Sri -anka .a" able t# d# . at it did .it &#mplete impunity . ile re"t #' t e .#rld .at& ed #n,2 n#ting #. t e +, and +S pr#*ided type" #' military a""i"tan&e t# Sri -anka, and t u", t ey .ere re"p#n"ible '#r t e plig t #' t e Tamil" in t e i"land/

Object 1

S e al"# "aid n#t 3u"t Tamil" .#rld #*er, but al"# e*ery )ndian, e*ery !riti" and e*ery

(meri&an, 1" #uld be #rgani4ing and demanding 3u"ti&e 'r#m internati#nal "tate a&t#r" and n#n5"tate a&t#r" . # abetted t e &rime" t at t##k pla&e and &#ntinue t# take pla&e/2 T e &#n'eren&e .a" part #' a 2 day e*ent #n t e "ub3e&t/ T e 'ir"t day #' t e &#n'eren&e, #n Friday, "a. n#ted )ndian "#&ial and en*ir#nmental a&ti*i"t Med a 6atkar re&#gni"ing t e gen#&idal nature #' t e land grab"/ T e e*ent #n Saturday, eld at ,ennedy T eatre, +ni*er"ity 7#llege -#nd#n, .a" di*ided int# t ree "e""i#n" .it t e panelli"t" di"&u""ing t eme" related t# land grab" in t e Tamil #meland/ ( d#&umentary by Tamil Nadu 3#urnali"t T ami4 Maga 6rab agaran 1T i" -and !el#ng" t# t e (rmy2 .a" "&reened at t e &#n'eren&e '#ll#.ed by a pre"entati#n by TN( M6 Srit aran #n t e land grab" in 8a''na and ,i9lin#& & i/

[-5:] (nurad a Mittal, ;eni" <alliday, Nirmanu"an !ala"undaram, Sure" 6rema& andra T e 'ir"t panel, . i& .a" #n 17#mparati*e -and )""ue" in =t n#&rati& :egime"2, in*#l*ed pre"entati#n" 'r#m 6r#'/ >ren ?i'ta& el 'r#m !en Guri#n +ni*er"ity )"rael, ;r/ S apan (dnan, Nati#nal +ni*er"ity #' Singap#re, ;r/ ;a*id :ampt#n 'r#m -#nd#n S& ##l #' =&#n#mi&", and ;r/ 8#& en <ippler 'r#m +ni*er"ity #' ;ui"burg5=""en/ ;r/ (dnan, dra.ing &#mpari"#n bet.een t e Tamil" and t e tribe" in 7 ittag#ng, "aid t at t e 1ma""i*e de&#mp#"iti#n and re&#mp#"iti#n #' et ni& &#mp#"iti#n2 in t e Tamil #meland .a" linked t# t e de"tru&ti#n #' t e idea #' a Tamil #meland and t e Tamil identity/ 6r#'/ 8ake -yn& , +ni*er"ity #' Sydney, 6r#'/ 6 :ama"amy, ;eputy 7M #' t e 6enang, Malay"ia, ,/ ,urunat an, retired land &#mmi""i#ner 'r#m t e i"land, and Ga3endrakumar 6#nnambalam, pre"ident #' t e TN6F, "p#ke #n t e t#pi& #' 1(d*#&a&y and -egal Me& ani"m"2/

[-5:] 8ake -yn& , ,/ ,urunat an, 7 ri"tina @illiam", 6 :ama"amy, Ga3endrakumar 6#nnambalam Mr Ga3endrakumar .a" #' t e #pini#n t at legal pr#&e"" .it in unitary Sri -anka .ill n#t .#rk a" t ere .a" a "tru&tural element t# t e land grab"/ <e al"# ig lig ted t e imp#rtan&e #' ma"" m#bili4ati#n" #' Tamil" in t e #meland, Tamil Nadu and t e dia"p#ra t# & e&k t i"/ M" (nurad a Mittal, =0e&uti*e ;ire&t#r #' >akland )n"titute, +S(, Tamil a&ademi& ,/ Guruparan, ;r/ ;eni" <alliday, and Sure" 6rema& andran parliamentarian 'r#m t e TN( addre""ed #n 1(&ti*i"m and Strategie"/2

[-5:] >ren ?i'ta& el, 8#& en <ippler, S :a3kumar, S apan (dnan and ;a*id :ampt#n Mr Guruparan .a" #' t e #pini#n t at t e termin#l#gie" #' Are&#n&iliati#nB, Arule #' la.B, and Aliberal indi*idual rig t"B .a" &#mpletely inadeCuate a" 'ar a" t e Tamil" .ere &#n&erned/ <e al"# "aid t at militari4ati#n in t e N#rt 5=a"t .a" Cualitati*ely di''erent 'r#m military pre"en&e in t e "#ut , re'erring t# #. t e military in t e Tamil area" .a" engaging in a pr#&e"" #' di"mantling Tamil "#&iety/ Mr Sure" 6rema& andran talked ab#ut #. t e per*a"i*ene"" #' t e Sin ala military in t e Tamil #meland 'a&ilitated t e ea"y e0pl#itati#n #' .#men a''e&ted by .ar, &#nne&ting it .it t e gen#&idal intenti#n #' t e Sri -ankan "tate/ !riti" Tamil 3#urnali"t G#pi :atnam, re'erring t# TN(B" N67 re&ent "tatement terming t e &#nditi#n #' t e Tamil" in t e i"land a" 1eCui*alent t# gen#&ide2, a"ked Sure" 6rema& andran . y &anBt TN( #penly a&&ept t at . at appened i" gen#&ideD

6rema& andran replied t at @igne".aran .a" ne. t# p#liti&" and t at TN( a" a &lear *ie. t at t ere i" a gen#&ide taking pla&e in Sri -anka/ 6#liti&al a&ti*i"t Sa"it ar Ma e".aran, al"# rai"ed a p#int t at t ere .a" de&eit 'r#m t e TN( a" a &#lle&ti*e entity t at gi*e" *arying me""age" at *arying plat'#rm"/ )n t e E and ( "e""i#n, a member 'r#m t e audien&e rai"ed a Cue"ti#n t# ;r/ 8#& en <ippler #n . y e re'u"ed t# term . at appened t# t e =e4 am Tamil" a" gen#&ide/ ;r/ <ipplerB" reply .a" t at . ile e agreed t at Tamil" .ere *i&tim" #' .ar &rime", t e .#rd 1gen#&ide2 &an be u"ed #nly '#r &rime" #n a greater magnitude/ <#.e*er, ;r/ <alliday re'uted ;r/ <ipplerB" argument a""erting t at 1T i" i" gen#&ide and an #n5g#ing gen#&ide/2 ;r/ (ndy <igginb#tt#m "aid t at t e land grab argument " #uld be "een linked t# gen#&ide/ 66T .a" a paradigm " i't be&au"e it " #.ed @e"tern 6#.er" a*e been inter*ening in t e i"land #' Sri -anka t u" re"ulting in t e gen#&ide #' t e =e4 am Tamil", e "aid/ Mr :a3kumar 'r#m t e !TF "aid t at Tamil" " #uld be *ery &lear #n u"ing t e term gen#&ide and t at . at i" appening t# t e =e4 am Tamil" in t e i"land n#. i" "tru&tural gen#&ide/