The self-styled Prime Minister of the transnational government of Tamil Eelam, Visvanathan Rudrakumaran, on Friday appealed to all parties in India to include the issue of Tamil Eelam in their manifestoes and urged the Centre to prevail upon the international community to pave the way for a referendum in Sri Lanka.
Addressing journalists through videoconferencing from the United States, he said the people were aware of the genocide committed against Tamils during the last phase of the war in Sri Lanka, and the sentiments had snowballed into a vote bank. “If a referendum can happen in South Sudan, East Timor and Kosovo, why not in Sri Lanka.” India was morally, diplomatically and strategically positioned to take the lead in reaching out to the Tamils.
The government should either sponsor or co-sponsor a resolution in the upcoming United Nations Human Rights Council session for an international independent commission, Mr. Rudrakumaran said.
