posted December 18, 2001 02:50 PM            

- Ms. Karen Parker at the Massive Mass Rally of Tamils of Europe in Geneva

"Neither the false propaganda of the Sri Lankan government to mislabel the 50 years long Tamil struggle for their rights as mere terrorism, nor the banning of the LTTE as a terrorist organisation in countries like the US and Britain, can take away the Right of Self-determination and other Rights of the Tamils of Tamil Eelam. It is the Tamils who have to decide about their nationhood and homeland." so declared Ms.Karen Parker of the International Educational Development and a world-renowned Human Rights lawyer from the United States, before a ten thousand strong mass meeting of Tamils of Europe gathered in front of the UN Buildings in Geneva on Tuesday the 2nd. of April 2001. This annual Tamil event in Geneva, depicting mainly the atrocious human rights violations of the Sri Lankan government against the Tamils, takes place notably during the annual Sessions of the UN Commission for Human Rights with the intention of appealing to the international community for justice and peace for the Tamils of Tamil Eelam. This years Rally coincides with the 57th. Sessions of the UN Commission on Human Rights.

In this year's Rally held at the conclusion of the Peace March in front of the UN Buildings,. Members of the Swiss Parliament- Hon.Valerie Garbani of the Socialist Party, Hon.Jean Spielmann of Labour Party, Hon.Franziska Teuscher of the Green Party, Mr. Antonio Gonzales of the International Treaty council and Mr. Jacques Robert, Gen.Secretary of the Swiss Trade Unions as well as Suba Veerapandian of Tamil Nadu (India) and Hindu Kurukkal Saravanabavan of the Swiss Hindu Organisation addressed the vast crowds seated on the plains with red and yellow flags of Tamil Eelam and large pictures of Mr.Velupillai Pirabaharan, their national leader.

Tamil Eelam Expatriates in Europe, parents with children and their elderly, converged in their thousands, from all corners of Europe by special trains and busses to take part in their Annual Peace March through the main streets of Geneva. The vast crowds that began pouring into Geneva from the early hours of this morning, brought with them large size placards depicting the genocidal acts of the Sri Lankan government as well as the horror scenes of murder, rape and massacres endured by their brethren in the Northeast of the island of Sri Lanka. The crowds began swelling by their thousands near the main railway station of Geneva. And at 14.00 hours The Peace March, led by a giant-size picture of Mr. Velupillai Pirabaharan, the Leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the National Flag of Tamil Eelam carried by young women clad in red and yellow sarees and accompanied by Tamil Natheswara music started moving.

Ever since Leader Pirabaharan, met the Norwegian Representative, Mr.Eric Solheim and agreed to have Peace Talks and initiated an unilateral ceasefire from Christmas 2000, nearly all the Tamils and even the non-LTTE groups, have accepted the leadership of Mr.Pirabaharan to win their basic rights of self-determination, nationhood and homeland. The recent ban of the LTTE in England coupled with the escalating war and false propaganda of the Sri Lankan Government against the Tamils have evoked deep sadness and all round anger and increased solidarity of Tamils around the world, to present their demands before the international community. Hence their participation have increased in spite of this rally being held on a working day and a long way away from their cities.

In this year's Peace March, the slogans echoed in Tamil, English and German, centred around the Tamil demand that the international community to persuade the Sri Lankan government to cease its reign of terror against the Tamil people, to respond as a civilized government to the three months long ceasefire of the LTTE, to end its decade long economic embargo and engage in meaningful talks towards a just and peaceful solution. A special feature of this year's Rally was the sadness and anger expressed by the Tamils of Europe about Britain's betrayal of Tamils in banning the leadership of the Tamil Struggle as a terrorist organisation. The final call to the international community included a call to lift the ban on the LTTE and bring the Tamil struggle to a just and peaceful conclusion.

A formal set of proclamations before the international community expressing the Tamil consensus about their right of self-determination, nationhood and homeland as well as a set of demands asking the international community to persuade the Sri Lankan government to cease its terror against the Tamil people and enter into a civilized way of peace-talks facilitated by the Norwegian government were read by Mr.Anton Ponraj of the ITF. The Proclamations and Demands were repeated phrase by phrase by the standing crowds. The Peace March and Rally concluded with the Tamil national anthem - . Nambungal Thamil Eelam Nalai Pirakkum and the standing applause of the massive crowds

The International Federation of Tamils, which has its Headquarters in Geneva, and which organizes this annual event, is overjoyed at the massive turnout of many thousands of participants from all corners of Europe. We interpret this massive presence of elders, parents and children from far away places and on a working day to be a clear sign of the escalating concern of Tamils all over the world for Justice and Peace in our homeland as against the escalating war of the Sri Lankan Government vis a vis the three month long unilateral ceasefire of the LTTE. We hope and pray that the International community soon lends its ears to the unanimous Tamil demands emanating from all sections of Tamils of Tamil Eelam - from the Tamil youth of the Universities in Jaffna and Batticaloa ( Pongu Vila), from those on the verge of a genocide in Wanni and from these many thousands of Europe assembled before the UN - all demanding that heir rights of self determination, nationhood and homeland be recognised and be saved from the horrors of the Sri Lankan government.