Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • Tamil Mothers Letter To Lord Ahmed

    Uploaded by

    Thavam Ratna
    60 views2 pages
    The letter is from families of the enforced disappeared in Sri Lanka to Lord Ahmad, the UK Minister of State for South and Central Asia, protesting his emphasis on engagement with the Sri Lankan government over accountability for human rights violations. Specifically, the families argue that Lord Ahmad failed to mention the ongoing issue of enforced disappearances in Sri Lanka, including many Tamils who surrendered to the army in 2009 at the end of the war but whose fate remains unknown. The families request that Lord Ahmad ask Sri Lankan leaders, including the president who was defense secretary during the war, about what happened to their loved ones during his visit. They criticize the UK government's focus on engagement and economic issues rather than justice and accountability for

    Original Description:

    Original Title

    Tamil Mothers Letter to Lord Ahmed

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Report this Document
    The letter is from families of the enforced disappeared in Sri Lanka to Lord Ahmad, the UK Minister of State for South and Central Asia, protesting his emphasis on engagement with the Sri Lankan government over accountability for human rights violations. Specifically, the families argue that Lord Ahmad failed to mention the ongoing issue of enforced disappearances in Sri Lanka, including many Tamils who surrendered to the army in 2009 at the end of the war but whose fate remains unknown. The families request that Lord Ahmad ask Sri Lankan leaders, including the president who was defense secretary during the war, about what happened to their loved ones during his visit. They criticize the UK government's focus on engagement and economic issues rather than justice and accountability for

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    60 views2 pages

    Tamil Mothers Letter To Lord Ahmed

    Uploaded by

    Thavam Ratna
    The letter is from families of the enforced disappeared in Sri Lanka to Lord Ahmad, the UK Minister of State for South and Central Asia, protesting his emphasis on engagement with the Sri Lankan government over accountability for human rights violations. Specifically, the families argue that Lord Ahmad failed to mention the ongoing issue of enforced disappearances in Sri Lanka, including many Tamils who surrendered to the army in 2009 at the end of the war but whose fate remains unknown. The families request that Lord Ahmad ask Sri Lankan leaders, including the president who was defense secretary during the war, about what happened to their loved ones during his visit. They criticize the UK government's focus on engagement and economic issues rather than justice and accountability for

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 2

    January 18, 2022

    To:

    Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon,

    Minister of State for South and Central Asia, United Nations & the Commonwealth
    Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict

    Dear Lord Ahmad,

    On behalf of the families of the enforced disappeared we write to protest over your article in the
    Daily Mirror newspaper setting out the agenda for your visit to Sri Lanka this week.
    https://www.dailymirror.lk/opinion/Britain-says-Sri-Lanka-needs-good-governance-and-equal-
    rights-for-all/172-229147 It’s clear from this article that your priority is engagement with a State that
    has and continues to violate human rights rather than any empathy for the victims.

    At no point do you mention the burning ongoing issue of enforced disappearance in Sri Lanka – the
    country with the second largest number of cases reported to the UN. We represent the Tamil
    families who lost their loved ones most recently in vast numbers, particularly at the end of the war
    in 2009 when they surrendered to the Sri Lankan Army. The disappeared include babies and
    children. No answer has been given regarding their fate.

    It is imperative that you ask all those you meet on this trip, including the President of Sri Lanka, who
    was defence secretary during the war, what happened to our loved ones.

    Imagine if it was your child who disappeared and just asking what happened meant you were
    insulted, abused, threatened and told it was your fault you didn’t have more information about who
    took them. We have been treated with utter disrespect for the last thirteen years and your emphasis
    on engagement and the economy – and only a passing reference to accountability - is just another
    abuse we suffer.

    Do you really think this government is going to engage seriously with the past through the Geneva
    process? We want the UK government to help us achieve justice using universal jurisdiction cases as
    Germany did for the Syrians – and in the meantime sanction the military men involved in enforced
    disappearance.

    E-MAIL: ARED.KILINOCHI@GMAIL.COM
    Yours Sincerely,

    President Secretary

    Cosigned by District Leaders

    T. Selvarani – Ampara District


    A. Amalanayaki – Batticaloa District
    C. Ilankothai – Jaffna District
    K. Kokulavani – Kilinochchi District
    M. Chandra – Mannar District
    M. Easwari – Mullaitivu District
    S. Davi – Trincomalee district
    S. Saroyini – Vavuniya district

    Contact: A. Leeladevi – Secretary


    Tel: 0094778864360
    Email: ared.kilinochchi@gmail.com

    E-MAIL: ARED.KILINOCHI@GMAIL.COM

    You might also like