Sri Lankan Crisis Statement launched to Aust media today
March 9, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE on 9 March 2009
Australian Academics and Professionals Sign Sri Lankan Crisis Statement
Prominent Australians, including human rights lawyer Mr. Julian Burnside AO QC and world renowned landscaper and TV personality Mr. Jamie Durie, have joined a list of signatories urging the Rudd Government to help end the human rights and humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka.
Several non-Australians, including former Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan, Mr. Doug Bandow have also shown support to the ‘Sri Lankan Crisis Statement’, which can be found at www.srilankancrisis.com
Australian signatories include: Click here for the entire PR sent to media today
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Australians for Tamil Justice 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE on 9 March 2009
Australian Academics and Professionals Sign
Sri Lankan Crisis Statement
Prominent Australians, including human rights lawyer Mr. Julian Burnside AO QC and world renowned landscaper and TV personality Mr. Jamie Durie, have joined a list of signatories urging the Rudd Government to help end the human rights and humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka.
Several non-Australians, including former Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan, Mr. Doug Bandow have also shown support to the ‘Sri Lankan Crisis Statement’, which can be found at http://www.srilankancrisis.com
Australian signatories include:
• Mr. Julian Burnside AO QC, Australian Barrister, Human Rights and Refugee Advocate and Author, Victoria
• Mr. Jamie Durie, Australian Landscaper and Television Personality, NSW
• Prof. Wendy Bacon, Professor of Journalism, University of Technology, NSW
• Prof. Chris Nash, Professor of Journalism, Monash University, Victoria
• Emeritus Prof. Ivan Shearer AM, University of Sydney, NSW
• Prof. John Whitehall, Paediatrician, Queensland
• Emeritus Prof. Stuart Rees, Director, Sydney Peace Foundation, University of Sydney, NSW
• Prof. Damien Kingsbury, Associate Professor, Deakin University, Victoria
• Hon. Ian Cohen, Member of the Legislative Council, NSW
• Hon. Lee Rhiannon, Member of the Legislative Council, NSW
• Hon. John Kaye, Member of the Legislative Council, NSW
• Hon. Colleen Hartland, Member of the Legislative Council, Victoria
• Hon. Mike Reynolds AM MP, Member for Townsville, Queensland
• Mr. Jake Lynch, Director, Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Sydney, NSW
• Prof. Andrea Durbach, Associate Professor and Director of Australasian Human Rights Centre, Faculty of Law, University of New South Wales, NSW
• Dr. Susan Harris Rimmer, President, Australian Lawyers for Human Rights, ACT
The 25 year-old war in Sri Lanka is a largely unreported conflict. An estimated 250,000 civilians are trapped in an active war-zone under daily aerial bombing and artillery attack.
For every day it continues, medical officials in the region have estimated that 50-60 people will die and many more will be injured. Continuous calls for a cease-fire by international governments and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have been rejected by the Government of Sri Lanka.
On 5 February 2009 the Government of Australia released a statement highlighting it “reiterates its call for a political solution to this conflict. The long-term security and prosperity of Sri Lanka will only be achieved through a political solution that meets the legitimate aspirations of all Sri Lankans”.
Numerous Western governments have expressed similar sentiments. However the conflict continues to escalate. This must end.
Governments, media and aid groups must continue to place pressure on the Government of Sri Lanka to cease its military offensive which has seen the death of 2000 Tamil civilians this year alone.
Sri Lankan Crisis Statement Team
Media Contacts:
• Prof. John Whitehall, Paediatrician, Queensland – +61(0)417194962
• Prof. Damien Kingsbury – Associate Professor, Deakin University – +61(0)439638834
• Dr. Sam Pari – Tamil Australian Youth Activist and Campaign Organiser – +61(0)433428967
Glad to hear that many prominent personalities are urging the Australian Government to act in favour of justice.
The same type of Appeal must be sent to All the Members of the UN urging immediate action to save the BALANCE civilians from suffering and death due to Human Rights violations of all concerned including the IC.
More than the Governments it is the public in those countries who SHOULD be made aware of the happenings in Sri Lanka. Most of the public are not aware of the true situation. The Government with its network of embassies is feeding the public of every country with ITS VERSION of the conflict and trying to portray the situation as a “war on terror” and the innocent people are believing it and so the Tamils are not getting the due support.
The public throughout the world are not aware of the 30 years of parliamentary struggle. They are being made aware of the NEXT 30 years of armed struggle and not the parliamentary struggle that went along with it. The Government avoided it for its benefit and the Tamil Diaspora does not seem to have felt the necessity to enlighten the people of the various countries of this struggle in the proper way.
Go to the student community from High School and above and explain to them the root causes and how the struggle evolved from within parliament and outside and then from non-violent to violence and how “ethnic crisis” evolved to became “war on terror”.
The Tamil Diaspora MUST go to the clubs and other associations in the various countries speak to the people concerned and address large gatherings explaining the correct situation and win the hearts and minds of the people so that they will make representations of their governments
Dr.Brian Senevirate, who is now in Australia, might be in a position to help further.
March 9, 2009
Genocide of the Tamils in Sri Lanka
Crawling through the dead, the dying, the bleeding, the old and the young, bombed out hospitals, homes, schools and entire villages and towns, torture, rape, murder, massacres, white-van disappearances, barbed wire concentration camps, denied tsunami aid and now killing survivors, denying food and medicine as weapon of war, use of cluster bombs and phosphorous weapons on civilians, bombing of declared safe-zones, killing and bombing women and children living in tents with no food or water, murdered and jailed reporters, murdered aid workers, fifty years of injustice, no convictions. Your greed for money, power, and land in the name of sovereignty is unprecedented in this new century.
Failure of democracy, majority rules, and minority dies, failure of United Nations,
Failure of Humanity as we witness but do not act, e.g. Rwanda, Darfur, Sri Lanka
One World Conscious “Tsunami Survivor”
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These thoughts below documented late last night at approx 1:00a.m I had picked up these thoughts 10,000 km away, and was surprised to see this article on Tamilnet.com titled “Shelling amidst mini-cyclone and lashing rains, thousands stranded” TamilNet, Monday, 09 March 2009, 13:43 GMT]
My thoughts were occurring at approximately the same time, what does this mean? The Tamil people are crying out and their tears and sorrows are resonating around this planet.
March 9, 2009
Unimagined Sufferings of the Tamils in Sri Lanka
As I sit in my home listening to the sound of the rain outside my window. I cannot but let my heart sink and my mind wonder at the terrible plight of the Minority Tamil People in the Vanni Area (Northern Sri Lanka) 250, 000 to 300, 000 trapped people, their cries, screams and fears as they huddle, without food and shelter with their children
Hungry and cold from the rain, while the shells and bombs and bullets hit these areas. The silent cries of the thousands of civilians, babies, children, men, women, fathers, mothers. You call others Terrorists!!
Sri Lankan Government & Sinhalese People
Stop your Genocide Now!! Before it is too late
You are sinking Humanity to new depths
You are not greater than the Supreme Divine Power
No Man, No Nation, No People
You were warned with a Tsunami
Change your path
One World Conscious “Tsunami Survivor”