Boycott Mahinda Rajapaksa's visit to Madhya Pradesh
Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his regime are accused of ordering the killings of over 40,000 Tamil civilians during the closing stages of their war against the Tamil Tigers in 2009. They continue to stonewall international efforts to ensure a neutral investigations into the allegations of heinous war crimes against them. And yet the UPA-lead Indian government continues to roll out the royal carpet for Rajapaksa -- including training personnel from the tainted Sri Lankan armed forces.
It's only by showing the government and UPA that Indians don't support this cooperation with the Sri Lankan regime that we can force India to change its position, and start to put pressure on Sri Lanka for real reforms and an independent investigation. Sign my petition to demand a boycott of Rajapaksa's gala at the Buddhist university -- it's time to draw a line in the sand!
The regime is accused of continuing to crush dissidence with brute force. Scores of journalists, human rights activists and opposition figures have been killed or forced into exile. The regime has militarised the traditional homelands of the Tamils. Over 100,000 troops, almost all of them Sinhala, are lording over a Tamil population, that is denied basic rights. Even over 60 years after independence and a 30 year civil war, there is negligible devolution of power to the Tamils under a rigid unitary constitution.
Since the war ended, Rajapaksa regime has a policy that actively encourages settlement of Sinhala population in what has been recognised as traditional homelands of the Tamils. Human rights abuses against the Tamil population and the continues denial of basic rights has only increased since the end of the war, in the absence of any international action.
A resolution seeking a fair, international investigation against war crimes on the island and punishment for those found guilty as per international law has been unanimously passed by the elected representatives of the 7.25 crore people of Tamil Nadu in the state legislative assembly.
The UPA government led by Manmohan Singh, continues to have close tied with a regime accused of genocide and continues to invite and entertain them at official functions. Now, the Government of India has invited Mahinda Rajapaksa to BJP ruled Madhya Pradesh to lay the foundation for a Buddhist university at Sanchi.
Does a man accused of running a genocidal regime that stonewalls international calls for investigations and accountability, deserve to come to the land of the Buddha...the universal icon for peace, brotherhood and righteous living? Does his regime deserve the support of the Indian people? Does India need to stoop to the depths that Pakistan and China are willing to, for the sake of a misplaced notion of Realpolitik?
Sign my petition now!