The U.S.-sponsored resolution on the issue of war crimes against Tamils by the Sri Lankan forces smacks of hypocrisy. Nobody denies that war crimes might have been committed by the Sri Lankan forces against the Tamils. But what about the massive rights violations and the loss of civilian lives in Iraq and Afghanistan? While combat between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan armed forces was an internal affair of the island nation, the U.S., by virtue of its hegemony, transgressed the sovereignty of Iraq and Afghanistan. Again, why not a similar resolution on the loss of civilian lives in Palestine by Israeli aggression? I extend my sympathies to the legitimate cause of Sri Lankan Tamils and seek justice for them. But international law should be enforced everywhere, not selectively.
Lokeshkumar Jangid,
Delhi
The Tamils in India and Tamils in Sri Lanka are not two very different communities. They have had linguistic, ethnic, cultural, and matrimonial relations for thousands of years. Many Tamils in Tamil Nadu have relatives in Sri Lanka just as many Hindus and Sikhs have relatives in Pakistan. Had Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan been killed, would New Delhi remain silent? Voting against Sri Lanka on the UNHRC resolution was in the interest of our nation.
M. Sendhur,
Kollidam
This refers to the article “ >Solidarity Sri Lanka’s Tamils can do without ” (March 20). The issue that is getting obscured in all the talk about the resolution is the establishment of true democracy in Sri Lanka. We have seen many reports on media censorship and attempts to centralise power by the Rajapaksa government. If democracy in the true sense is restored, sooner or later those responsible for war crimes will be punished, as is evident from the developments in Bangladesh.
K. Narsingh Rao,
Ponda
After reading the responses from readers on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue, I am wondering why my friends from the north are unaware of the ground situation in the island nation.
The Sri Lankan President promised time and again that he would find a political solution to the Tamil question. But has he kept his word? In four years after the civil war, there has been no significant improvement in the plight of Tamils. True, the LTTE committed many mistakes but it has been eliminated. What prevents Mahinda Rajapaksa from giving the Tamils their due?
D. Angelin Prince,
Chennai
