26 October 2009

Hindu and Tamil organisations bodies from across the UK have announced a campaign to highlight the humanitarian crisis facing the Tamil community (the majority of whom are Hindus) in Sri Lanka and who, in the aftermath of the latest fighting between the Sri Lankan forces and the Tamil Tigers, have become Internally Displaced people (IDP). Up to a third of a million people have lost their homes and other moorings and forced to live in appalling, inhuman conditions in detention camps. The inmates, short of drinking water, food, and healthcare, living in the midst of filth, are prey to preventable illness, infection, malnutrition, depression and other psychological disorders, resulting in large numbers of inmates dying on a weekly basis.

At a conference held in October, representatives of the Hindu community and Tamil community domiciled in Britain offered their full support to the cause of the Tamil IDPs in Sri Lanka. Representatives of British Hindu organisations, including Hindu Forum of Britain, Hindu Council UK, National Council of Hindu Temples UK, Vishwa Hindu Parishad UK, National Hindu Students Forum, recently met with Global Human Rights Defence and the British Tamil Forum to discuss ways of bringing to the attention to politicians, and the public the suffering the Tamil IDPs are undergoing in Sri Lanka.

The Hindu Community has resolved to:

• organise prayers in all Hindu Temple and Community Centres on 1 November 2009
• hold a candle-lit vigil in front of the British Parliament on December 9, 2009
• urge the Sri Lankan Government to allow Aid Providing Organisations to distribute humanitarian aid direct to the IDPs.
• request the Sri Lankan Government to allow access to a European Delegation to visit the camps in which the IDPs are held.

Bharti Tailor, secretary general of the Hindu Forum of Britain, said: “The evidence presented was based on reports by independent journalists as well as international Human Rights Organisations showed the magnitude of the problem facing the displaced Tamil community in Sri Lanka and it’s vital that the international community take urgent action to erase the suffering.”

Brij Mohan Gupta, joint secretary general of the Hindu Council UK, added: “Having seen the pictorial and other evidence of the sufferings of these innocent people, the Conference was deeply moved by their plight. Despite the cessation of fighting, there is still a huge amount to work that needs to be done and we hope our campaign will galvanise action.”

Dr Girdhari Bhan president of Vishva Hindu Parishad UK said: “It is important that both the UK and Indian Governments persuade the Government of Sri Lanka to negotiate a political settlement with the Tamil community that guarantees their safety, security and dignity, and grants them their due political rights.”

Nizaad Bissumbhar secretary of Global Human rights Defence said: “So far the Sri Lankan Government has refused access to outside agencies from providing aid. The Sri Lanka must be persuaded to change its stance. It is vital to provide humanitarian aid to the Tamil IDPs, but this must reach them as soon as possible and be distributed directly to them.”

Kajal Velani president of the National Hindu Students Forum said: “Most people are still ignorant about the ground reality in Sri Lanka and they need to wake up to the problems to avoid further human suffering and large scale loss of life.”

N Shanmuganathan of the Friends of Tamils, said: “It is imperative to persuade the Government of Sri Lanka to immediately release the IDPs from the camps in which they have been detained.”

All Hindu organisations are to hold prayers for the Tamils IDPs in camps in Sri Lanka. Prayers will be held on November the 1st at Evening services.