MDMK general secretary Vaiko on Tuesday wanted United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Navaneetham Pillay to recommend a referendum in Eelam for freedom of Tamils to press for an inquiry by the UN into the charges of genocide against the Sri Lankan government. In a statement here, he said Ms.Pillay, who is on a tour of inquiry, should do everything possible for ensuring lasting justice to the Tamils.
Recalling the observation of Justice P.N. Bhagwathi, who visited Sri Lanka in 2007 leading a group of international justices, that justice in Sri Lanka was not rendered even as per the basics of judicial practices accepted by world nations, he said the former Chief Justice of India had remarked that there was no protection for witnesses in Sri Lanka.
Mr. Vaiko wanted Ms. Pillay to keep in mind the observation of Justice Bhagwathi.
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“While the visit of Ms. Pillay to Tamil Eelam is crucial one, it is also important that she gets to meet the representatives of the affected Tamils without any interference from the Sri Lankan Government and gets to record the issues, problems, fears and the demands of the Tamils in Sri Lanka,” he said.
“On behalf of the suffering Tamils, I request the Human Rights Commissioner to meet directly the representatives of Tamils, the common public, including war-affected women, those whose lands have been grabbed, relatives of those missing, the students of the Jaffna University and those women wishing to record their suffering at the time of the war,” he said.