Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlall Nehru would be embarrassed at the current New Delhi Government's stance on the genocide against Tamils in Sri Lanka

By Subry Govender Veteran South African struggle journalist I saw the Channel 4 reports on the war crimes perpetrated by the Sri Lankan Government and its soldiers. I was shocked into disbelief at the kind of atrocities and the genocide committed against the Tamil civilians towards the latter part of the civil war in Sri Lanka in 2009. I have seen men and women tied and shot from the back by the Sri Lankan soldiers.

What was more shocking and inhuman was the brutal humiliation and slaying of the TV presenter, Isai Priya. How can a government led by Rajapakse and his brother, Basil, commit such war crimes and still get away with it. It's tragic that India has not yet spoken out against the genocide of some 60 000 Tamils when it has such a huge Tamil population of its own. The Tamil Nadu Assembly has taken a unanimous decision calling on the New Delhi Government and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh not to attend the CHOGM summit in mid-November. Similar calls have been made by the Tamil diaspora in South Africa, United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Australia and other countries but the Indian Government has still not taken any decision to boycott the CHOGM summit.

It just demonstrates that New Delhi does not care about the atrocities and genocide committed against the Tamil people in Sri Lanka. Now, to add further ammunition to claims that it is protecting Rajapakse and his pack of war criminals, India is refusing to grant a visa to the producer of the Channel 4 documentaries about Rajapakse's war crimes. The Tamil diaspora will be holding an International Conference in Mauritius between Nov 8 and 10 to discuss the oppression of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka. Delegates from India and Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, UK, United States, Canada, Australia and other countries would be attending.

The South African Solidarity Group for Peace and Justice in Sri Lanka has already called on its government to boycott the CHOGM summit and for the international community to pursue war crimes against the Sri Lankan Government leaders and others responsible for the genocide.

It's hoped that India would stop acting like a coward and take the lead, like Canada and Australia, in boycotting the CHOGM summit and also leading the way in pursuing war crimes against Rajapakse, his brother and others who gave orders for the senseless killings, rapes and murders of innocent men, women and children. One hopes that New Delhi will show some backbone and stop kow-towing to the people allegedly responsible for the slaying, torture and rapes of the Tamil people of Sri Lanka. It must be pointed out that not all Singalese are guilty of these war crimes. It's only the present Sri Lankan Government under Rajapakse, his brother and the soldiers who were given carte blanche licence to go on a rampage against the innocent souls of the north and east of Sri Lanka. If Mahatma Gandhi and Pundit Jawaharlall Nehru were alive today they would not have sat back and accepted what has taken place against the Tamils. They would have spoken out loudly and vociferously. What sayest thou Prime Minister Manmohan Singh?