SA SOLIDARITY GROUP BOYCOTTS SRI LANKAN GOVERNMENT DELEGATION OVER OPPRESSION OF TAMILS

SOUTH AFRICAN SOLDIARITY GROUPS CALLS FOR JUSTICE FOR TAMILS IN SRI LANKA

By Subry Govender

The South African Solidarity Group for Peace and Justoce in Sri Lanka(SGPJ) has refused to hold discussions with a Sri Lankan Government delegation that visited the country this week. The SGPJ, which was established by the late Minister Roy Padaychie to promote in South Africa the rights of Eelam Tamils, turned down an invitation by the Sri Lankan High Commission to meet the Sri Lankan Government delegation. The delegation was headed by Mr Nimal Siripala de Silva, leader of the Sri Lankan Parliament and Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Management, visited the country on February 20 and 21 to mainly discuss the issue of setting up a South African-style Truth and Reconciliation Commission(TRC) in an apparent attempt to reconcile the majority Singalese and minority Tamil communities.

President Jacob Zuma made this offer to Sri Lanka during the Commonwealth Conference in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, late last year after Britain and Canada called for the establishment of an independent and international investigation into the violation of human rights in the island country during the last stages of the civil war in 2009. During his state of the nation address just over a week ago, Zuma announced that the ANC deputy president, Cyril Ramaphosa, would help Sri Lanka and South Sudan.

Mr Solly Pillay, PRO OF SGPJ "We believe that the establishment of a TRC in Sri Lanka will not help because the situation in Sri Lanka today is totally different to the situation that prevailed in South Africa," said Mr Solly Pillay, PRO of the SGPJ. "The proposed TRC has been rejected outright by Tamil diaspora organisations throughout the world because we don't have any faith in the Sri Lankan Government. Between 70 000 and 100 000 Tamils were slaughtered during the last days of the civil war in that country in 2009 and there are allegations that the Sri Lankan armed forces are still continuing with human rights abuses of the Tamil people in their homeland in the North and East of Sri Lanka. "We support the establishment of an international and indepenent commission under the auspices of the United Nations so that those responsible for the genocide could be brought to justice by the International Court of Justice. "The visit by the Sri Lankan delegation is just an attempt to white-wash the alleged genocide that has taken place against the Tamil people," said Mr Pillay.

Massacres committed allegedly by Sri Lankan forces The allegations of the genocide against the Tamils and the continuing violations of their human rights will be the main issue during the next session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva early next month. The United States will support Britain, Canada and other countries in calling for strong action against the perpetrators of alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka.

Ms Navi Pillay, UN Human Rights High Commissioner The UN HR Council will discuss a damning 20-page report compiled by South African-born UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Navi Pillay. Ms Pillay and her team compiled the report after conducting a week-long in loco investigation in Sri Lanka last year. The report, which has already been submitted to the Sri Lankan Government, among other things, finds that gross human rights violations had taken place in the final stages of the war against the Tamil Tigers. She declared: "I am deeply concerned that Sri Lanka, despite the opportunity provided by the end of the war to construct a new vibrant, all-embracing state, is showing signs of heading in an increasingly authoritarian direction." Ms Pillay makes a number of proposals to the Sri Lankan Government to investigate the truth and establish a peaceful society for all Sri Lankans.

The proposals include: (i) Finalise laws dealing with incitement to hatred, witness and victim protection, the right to information, the criminalization of enforced disappearances, in line with international standards, and revise existing laws to bring them into line with International Human Rights Law; (ii) Arrest, prosecute and punish alleged perpetrators of attacks on minority communities, media and human rights defenders, and ensure protection of victims; and (iii) Take further steps in demilitarization, and initiate a meaningful and transparent reduction of the military presence to peacetime levels, which would require a clear timeline for demobilisation, disarmament and disengagement from activities that are meant to be civilian. Mr Pillay said the South African Government had always supported the struggles of the oppressed Tamils in Sri Lanka and they hoped that it would express this support during the UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva next month.

"What we would like to see is the Government supporting the establishment of an independent and international commission of inquiry into the alleged genocide of the Tamils and the continuing allegations of gross violations of human rights in the Tamil areas in the North and East of the island by Sri Lankan Government soldiers. "The Sri Lankan Government has been accused of colonising the Tamil areas by the deployment of their soldiers. "We cannot allow the continued oppression of Tamils in Sri Lanka," he said. ends - sg/dbn

MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR VETERAN STRUGGLE STALWART ERIC SINGH

By Subry Govender A memorial service for a veteran former anti-apartheid activist, Eric Singh, will be held at the David Landau Community Centre in Asherville, Durban on Saturday, February 22 2014, starting at 2pm. Singh, who went into exile in the 1960s, died in Berlin, Germany, on Tuesday, February 11 2014. Singh, who was born in Durban and lived in the Overport area, joined the revolutionary struggles against white minority rule and apartheid as a trade union member in the early 1950s. He, thereafter, became active in the underground movement by joining the South African Communist Party, the ANC and the Natal Indian Congress. He was also active as a member of the Natal Indian Youth Congress. Some of his fellow comrades in the underground at that time were Kay Moonsamy, M D Naidoo, Dr Ahmed Randeree, Jack Govender, Swaminathan Gounden and Sunny Singh. He was detained under the draconian 90-day detention laws during that time and was also banned and house-arrested after the bannings of the ANC and the PAC in 1960. He was arrested during one of the anti-terrorism raids and was sentenced for refusing to testify against his fellow comrades. While appealing against the sentence he fled the country into exile in 1965.

(courtesy Anli Serfontein, SA journalist in Berlin) He first went to Botswana, then to Tanzania and finally to East Berlin, which was part of the former East Germany at the time. While in exile in East Berlin, Singh became a hard-working activist and journalist, promoting the ANC and the struggles of the people in South Africa. From 1967 to the fall apartheid in 1990, Singh was the main producer and editor of the ANC magazine, Sechaba. When Nelson Mandela was released in February 1990, Singh visited the country and re-established contacts with his family members, old comrades and friends. Singh is survived by his wife of 30 years, Karin, and two adult daughters in South Africa. - ends sg/dbn

FORMER ACTIVIST CALLS FOR JUSTICE FOR TAMILS IN SRI LANKA AFTER BEING ELECTED NEW PROVINCIAL TAMIL LEADER IN SOUTH AFRICA

Mr Richard Govender and some of his officials FORMER ACTIVIST CALLS FOR JUSTICE FOR TAMILS IN SRI LANKA AFTER BEING ELECTED NEW LEADER OF TAMILS IN THE KWAZULU-NATAL PROVINCE OF SOUTH AFRICA.

Mr Richard Govender and some of his officials By Subry Govender A former activist, who propogated in South Africa the struggles of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka, has called for justice for Eelam Tamils after being elected the new president of the Tamil Federation of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Mr Richard Govender, who used to head the Tamil Co-Ordinating Committee, was elected as the new provinical Tamil leader at the biennial general meeting of the TFKZN at the South African Tamil Federation Cultural Centre in Silverglen, Chatsworth, Durban on Sunday, February 9.

Some members at the meeting TAMILS MUST BE GIVEN FREEDOM "We have to ensure that the Tamil people of Sri Lanka are accorded their full rights and freedom in their traditional homelands in the North and East of Sri Lanka", Mr Govender told me in an interview after the meeting. "We must also ensure that those who were responsible for the genocide of between 70 000 and 100 000 Tamils in the final stages of the war in 2009 must be brought to justice before an international court of justice. "The meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva next month must take the appropriate decisions to grant the Tamil people their freedom in the land of their birth.

Members who attended the meeting INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY "The international community, including South Africa, India, Britain and the United States, cannot stand idly by and watch the Tamil people being robbed of their freedom and facing genocide on a continuous basis in the North and East of Sri Lanka. "The Tamils were the original inhabitants of that part of Sri Lanka and they must be granted their freedom," said Mr Govender. Mr Govender is the latest Tamil leader in South Africa to call for justice and freedom for Tamils in Sri Lanka. Early in January, the new leader of the South African Tamil Federation, Mr Karthi Moothsamy, also made a similar call for the culprits of the Tamil genocide to be brought to justice before the International Criminal Court. Mr Govender earlier in the meeting emphasised that he would play a constructive and active role in promoting the Tamil language, culture, tradition and music among the Tamil descendants in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. "We have to work from the grass-roots levels to meet the cultural, social, linguistic and other needs of the people," Mr Govender told the meeting soon after being elected.

Mr Balan Gounder and Saths Chettiar SOCIAL ISSUES TO BE TACKLED Mr Govender said the people faced many social challenges, especially drug addiction and women and child abuse. He said it was vitally important for the organisation to work with the "grass-roots" people in order to help people affected by such problems. "We have to take the leadership roles on many issues and, therefore, we will go out there and interact with organisations and people. We especially want to concentrate on the youth as the young people need to become involved in the promotion of our cultures, traditions, language and music. "We also want to tackle the issue of priests who manipulate temple organisations for their own personal interests. Some of these priests have turned some temple organisations into war zones. "We cannot allow this type of divisions in our organisations," he said. Mr Gounder and Mr Jaya Pillay Mr Govender took over from 81-year-old Mr Balan Gounder, who did not stand for re-election. Mr Gounder was, however, chosen by Mr Govender as his deputy. The leadership of the Tamil Federation of KZN prior to Mr Gounder was occupied by Bala Naidoo, who holds a senior position in the South African Police Service(SAPS). Mr Govender's other officials are: Mrs Kogie Moorthi and Mr Saths Chettiar, joint secretaries; Mr Krish Nair, treasurer; and Dr Ganas Bull Murugan, Public Relations Officer. The committee members elected are: Mrs Salo Muthen (Tamil Advancement Society), Mr Naranjee, Mr Barry Pillay (Tamil Protective Society) of Pietermaritzburg, Mrs Veni Pather (former PRO), Mr Mervyn Reddy and Mr Jaya Pillay (former joint secretary). Mr Govender's election follows in the wake of the election of Mr Karthy Moothsamy of Benoni as the new president of the South African Tamil Federation late lasy year.

MR KARTHI MOOTHSAMY AND MR MICKY CHETTY Mr Moothsamy was one of the leaders who attended the meeting along with his executive officials - Mr Marie Pillay-Ramaya and Mr Pops Govender. The immediate former president, Ms Pauline Naidoo, also arrived from Johannesburg to attend the meeting. The leader of the International Organisation for the Promotion of Tamil and former a former SATF president, Mr Micky Chetty, was also present. 'BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN OTHERS' Mr Moothsamy, who was called upon to address the meeting, pledged his full support to Mr Govender and his new officials. He called on people to "stop throwing stones" and become "part of the solution". Mr Karthy Moothsamy and Marie-Pillay Ramaya "Be the change you like to see in others", he urged the people. "There is no turf war. We are working for the people." Mr Moothsamy re-iterated that the SATF would not "play second fiddle" to any other organisation.

A GRAND RE-UNION OF THE DESCENDANTS OF JITLAS OF IZOTSHA AND THEIR NEIGHBOURS

By Subry Govender The hardships, joys, and pleasures of growing up on a farming district near Port Shepstone were brought alive when descendants of a pioneer Indian-origin farmer held a re-union in the south coast town recently. More than 200 descendants of Perumal Jitla and Poonganum Govender, who lived and worked on a farm in the area of Izotsha, their neighbours, and close friends attended the re-union held at the Marburg Secondary School on Saturday, January 25 2014. The people, who attended the culturally-vibrant function, had travelled from as far afield as Johannesburg, Durban, Verulam, Tongaat, and Umzinto.

Among the family members were two elder citizens, Mrs Papathy Govender, aged 87, the widow of Mr Jitla Govender's first son, Thumba Govender, and Mrs Kistamma Govender, aged 97, the sister-in-law of Poonganum.

Mrs Papathy Govender

Mrs Kistamma Govender, 91-years-old "This gathering is something very very special because we don't only have here descendants of our grand-parents, Jitla and Poonganum Govender, but also neighbours and friends who we have not seen for more than 40 years," said Mr Nanda Govender, who spoke on behalf of the extended family of Mr Parasraman Boya Govender, one of the sons of Jitla Govender. Mr Nanda Govender together with his three other brothers - Selva Neelakandan, Sagie, and Sundrasan Sadha, and sister, Vanitha, were born on the farm along with their cousins - the children of the eldest Jitla child, Salatchi, and brother, Thumba. Mr Sundrasan Govender, a grand-son now living in Johannesburg Salatchi's children were Panjala, Neela, Kaniappan Paddy, Perumal Siva, Mogambery, Sadha Subramoney, Thynanagie, Oombathie Yogi, Nagakani Rani, Neelaveni Veni, and Shunmogam Kanagie. Thumba Govender's children were Pushpa, Radha, Ruby, Krish, Sadha, Dhanabagium Baby, and Jaya. Three members of the extended family, Subramoney Subry, Vela and Manakka, also grew up on the farm. Their grand-father, Jitla Govender, was the son of an indentured labourer who had come down from Tamil Nadu in India in the 1860s to work on the sugar plantations in the then Natal Colony administered by the British. Not much is known about their great-grand-father's background but it's learnt that after he completed his indenture sometime in the 1870s, he moved to Inanda, near Verulam, situated about 35km north of Durban. It was here that Jitla Govender was born along with three other brothers. When they were still young, the family moved to Bellair in Durban. Young Jitla worked in various odd jobs and in his early teens he married Poonganam - who was a distant relative. No sooner had Jitla and his wife settled down, they had some problems with the family. This led to the Jitlas, with their young children, moving to Izotsha in the early 1930s. "Although we did not have the luxuries of life we, nevertheless, grew up in an environment where there was a lot of laughter and happiness," Mr Nanda Govender told the people. "We also got into a lot of pranks but these were not of a serious nature. In so far as our neighbours were concerned, we all lived like one big family. "Our beautiful life in Izotsha was disrupted in the early 1960s when the former National Party government during the apartheid era declared our farming area a 'white group area' and forced our fellow Indian-origin farmers to move out. "Our grand-father refused to move and even told the white government that they would only move him when he's dead. My grand-father passed away in 1974 and only moved out of the farm when my grand-mother passed away in the mid-1970s."

Mrs Thyna Subramoney and her sisters

Mrs Thyna Subramoney Another Jitla descendant, Mrs Thyna Subramoney, gave a brief history of her mother and father, Salatchi and Nadasen Govender, and how they struggled to make ends meet from the early 1930s to the 1970s.

Salatchi, the eldest child of Jitla, and her husband, Nadasen. Both are late "Life on the farm was tough for all us - my sisters and brothers and my cousins," she said. "I can recall that as young girls we used to collect water for cooking and other needs from a pond nearby. My cousin, Baby, and I used to also take the cows for grazing. During these days we used tie the cows to trees and go swimming in the river. "I can also recall that we used to walk about 12km to school to Port Shepstone and then in the afternoon we used to walk another 12km back home. "Our late brother, Sadha, used to accompany us and I remember that when we were returning home, he used make us walk fast and run because it used to be late in the afternoon. "Life was tough on the farm but we enjoyed every moment of it. We also had very good neighbours and all of us used to live like one extended family. "I don't think we can get that type of life again." Mrs Subramoney said they fully participated in the re-union because "this is one of the ways in which we can remind our children and grand-children of our rich history and where we come from". "We need to understand that without our ancient roots, cultures, traditions and languages we would become a lost community in South Africa. "Already, some of us seem to be so overcome by western influences that we forget our values, principles, traditions, languages, cultures and music. We must be proud of our indentured past and promote our rich cultures, languages, traditions and music while at the same time developing our lives in this modern world", she said. Another family, Mr Jaya Govender, spoke on behalf of the family of the second Jitla son, Thumba and Papathy Govender. "I have some pleasant memories where we used to go bathing and fishing in the nearby river and playing all kinds of sport. "We got into a lot of troubles for not doing our tasks in the fields. Our parents and grand-parents used to make a lot of noise about us not listening to them. But despite our hardships life was enjoyable. It was a kind of life that we will never be able to recreate again." The Jitla and Poonganum Govender clan today from one daughter and two sons comprises about 150 family members, made up of 23 grand-children, 60 great-grand-children, 57 great-great-grand-children and 10 great-great-great-grand-children. Through sheer hard work and determination some of the grand-children are successful business people, a few are graduates and hold senior positions in corporate companies.

Mrs Ruby Naicker, one of the grand-children, who organised the get together with Mr Sundrasan Govender Some of the great-grand-children are doctors, accountants, engineers and some are studying to become actuarial scientists. Mr Sundras Govender, who was one of the organisers with his cousin, Mrs Ruby Naicker, said they planned to organise similar events every five years. "We also want to put together the Jitla Family Tree as a permanent reminder to future generations of our roots and where we come from," he said.

Respect for all religions was one of the themes at the re-union of the Jitlas.

A GRAND RE-UNION OF THE DESCENDANTS OF JITLAS OF IZOTSHA AND THEIR NEIGHBOURS

By Subry Govender The hardships, joys, and pleasures of growing up on a farming district near Port Shepstone were brought alive when descendants of a pioneer Indian-origin farmer held a re-union in the south coast town recently. More than 200 descendants of Perumal Jitla and Poonganum Govender, who lived and worked on a farm in the area of Izotsha, their neighbours, and close friends attended the re-union held at the Marburg Secondary School on Saturday, January 25 2014. The people, who attended the culturally-vibrant function, had travelled from as far afield as Johannesburg, Durban, Verulam, Tongaat, and Umzinto. Among the family members were two elder citizens, Mrs Papathy Govender, aged 87, the widow of Mr Jitla Govender's first son, Thumba Govender, and Mrs Kistamma Govender, aged 97, the sister-in-law of Poonganum. "This gathering is something very very special because we don't only have here descendants of our grand-parents, Jitla and Poonganum Govender, but also neighbours and friends who we have not seen for more than 40 years," said Mr Nanda Govender, who spoke on behalf of the extended family of Mr Parasraman Boya Govender, one of the sons of Jitla Govender. Mr Nanda Govender together with his three other brothers - Selva Neelakandan, Sagie, and Sundrasan Sadha, and sister, Vanitha, were born on the farm along with their cousins - the children of the eldest Jitla child, Salatchi, and brother, Thumba. Salatchi's children were Panjala, Neela, Kaniappan Paddy, Perumal Siva, Mogambery, Sadha Subramoney, Thynanagie, Oombathie Yogi, Nagakani Rani, Neelaveni Veni, and Shunmogam Kanagie. Thumba Govender's children were Pushpa, Radha, Ruby, Krish, Sadha, Dhanabagium Baby, and Jaya. Three members of the extended family, Subramoney Subry, Vela and Manakka, also grew up on the farm. Their grand-father, Jitla Govender, was the son of an indentured labourer who had come down from Tamil Nadu in India in the 1860s to work on the sugar plantations in the then Natal Colony administered by the British. Not much is known about their great-grand-father's background but it's learnt that after he completed his indenture sometime in the 1870s, he moved to Inanda, near Verulam, situated about 35km north of Durban. It was here that Jitla Govender was born along with three other brothers. When they were still young, the family moved to Bellair in Durban. Young Jitla worked in various odd jobs and in his early teens he married Poonganam - who was a distant relative. No sooner had Jitla and his wife settled down, they had some problems with the family. This led to the Jitlas, with their young children, moving to Izotsha in the early 1930s. "Although we did not have the luxuries of life we, nevertheless, grew up in an environment where there was a lot of laughter and happiness," Mr Nanda Govender told the people. "We also got into a lot of pranks but these were not of a serious nature. In so far as our neighbours were concerned, we all lived like one big family. "Our beautiful life in Izotsha was disrupted in the early 1960s when the former National Party government during the apartheid era declared our farming area a 'white group area' and forced our fellow Indian-origin farmers to move out. "Our grand-father refused to move and even told the white government that they would only move him when he's dead. My grand-father passed away in 1974 and only moved out of the farm when my grand-mother passed away in the mid-1970s." Another Jitla descendant, Mrs Thyna Subramoney, gave a brief history of her mother and father, Salatchi and Nadasen Govender, and how they struggled to make ends meet from the early 1930s to the 1970s. "Life on the farm was tough for all us - my sisters and brothers and my cousins," she said. "I can recall that as young girls we used to collect water for cooking and other needs from a pond nearby. My cousin, Baby, and I used to also take the cows for grazing. During these days we used tie the cows to trees and go swimming in the river. "I can also recall that we used to walk about 12km to school to Port Shepstone and then in the afternoon we used to walk another 12km back home. "Our late brother, Sadha, used to accompany us and I remember that when we were returning home, he used make us walk fast and run because it used to be late in the afternoon. "Life was tough on the farm but we enjoyed every moment of it. We also had very good neighbours and all of us used to live like one extended family. "I don't think we can get that type of life again." Mrs Subramoney said they fully participated in the re-union because "this is one of the ways in which we can remind our children and grand-children of our rich history and where we come from". "We need to understand that without our ancient roots, cultures, traditions and languages we would become a lost community in South Africa. "Already, some of us seem to be so overcome by western influences that we forget our values, principles, traditions, languages, cultures and music. We must be proud of our indentured past and promote our rich cultures, languages, traditions and music while at the same time developing our lives in this modern world", she said. Another family, Mr Jaya Govender, spoke on behalf of the family of the second Jitla son, Thumba and Papathy Govender. "I have some pleasant memories where we used to go bathing and fishing in the nearby river and playing all kinds of sport. "We got into a lot of troubles for not doing our tasks in the fields. Our parents and grand-parents used to make a lot of noise about us not listening to them. But despite our hardships life was enjoyable. It was a kind of life that we will never be able to recreate again." The Jitla and Poonganum Govender clan today from one daughter and two sons comprises about 150 family members, made up of 23 grand-children, 60 great-grand-children, 57 great-great-grand-children and 10 great-great-great-grand-children. Through sheer hard work and determination some of the grand-children are successful business people, a few are graduates and hold senior positions in corporate companies. Some of the great-grand-children are doctors, accountants, engineers and some are studying to become actuarial scientists. Mr Sundras Govender, who was one of the organisers with his cousin, Mrs Ruby Naicker, said they planned to organise similar events every five years. "We also want to put together the Jitla Family Tree as a permanent reminder to future generations of our roots and where we come from," he said.

CULTURALLY-CONSCIOUS TEENAGE GIRLS SEEKING ASSISTANCE TO CONTINUE THEIR TERTIARY STUDIES

CULTURALLY-CONSCIOUS TEENAGE GIRLS SEEKING ASSISTANCE TO CONTINUE THEIR TERTIARY STUDIES By Subry Govender Two young South Coast sisters, who have participated on a regular basis in cultural events organised by the Tamil Federation of KwaZulu-Natal and the South African Tamil Federation, are seeking assistance to continue their tertiary education. Miss Nireshnie Naidoo, 21, and her sister, Rochelle, completed their matriculation at the Umzinto Secondary School last year and are now enrolled at separate higher educational institutions. Nireshnie has enrolled at the Damelin Business College in Durban for a three-year Bachelor of Commerce: Accounting course, while her sister, Rochelle, has enrolled at the Embury Institute for a four-year teaching course. Their working-class parents, Mr Rajen and Mrs Veno Naidoo, have decided that their culturally-conscious daughters must be given the opportunities to attain higher qualifications despite the family's financial constraints. Mr Naidoo works as a security guard in Park Rynie while Mrs Naidoo is a cashier at a local supermarket. "We have taken a decision that attaining a decent tertiary education will help our girls a great deal in their futures," said Mrs Naidoo. "Therefore, we are sacrificing almost everything to ensure that our girls attain higher qualifications. Both my husband and I earn very little and are finding it difficult to meet all the costs." Nireshnie's first year course, excluding books, amounted to R19 900, while transport per month was R880. Rochelle's teachers' studies amounted to R38 000 and transport was R1 400 a month. Mrs Naidoo said despite their hardships, their daughters contuinued to participate in Tamil and South Indian cultural events on the South Coast and other parts of KwaZulu-Natal. "Our girls have been involved in promoting our dances and music since they were little girls." She said they were finding it very tough to come up with all the monies required for their studies and would appreciate some assistance from cultural bodies. "We want to appeal to our cultural organisations to try to help our girls in completing their tertiary studies." Anyone wishing to assist the young girls in their studies can contact the Naidoos on telephone number 039 - 9760822.

NEW PROVINCIAL TAMIL LEADER IN SOUTH AFRICA CALLS FOR JUSTICE AND FREEDOM FOR TAMILS IN SRI LANKA

By Subry Govender A former activist, who propogated in South Africa the struggles of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka, has called for justice for Eelam Tamils after being elected the new president of the Tamil Federation of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Mr Richard Govender, who used to head the Tamil Co-Ordinating Committee, was elected as the new provinical Tamil leader at the biennial general meeting of the TFKZN at the South African Tamil Federation Cultural Centre in Silverglen, Chatsworth, Durban on Sunday, February 9. TAMILS MUST BE GIVEN FREEDOM "We have to ensure that the Tamil people of Sri Lanka are accorded their full rights and freedom in their traditional homelands in the North and East of Sri Lanka", Mr Govender told me in an interview after the meeting. "We must also ensure that those who were responsible for the genocide of between 70 000 and 100 000 Tamils in the final stages of the war in 2009 must be brought to justice before an international court of justice. "The meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva next month must take the appropriate decisions to grant the Tamil people their freedom in the land of their birth.

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY "The international community, including South Africa, India, Britain and the United States, cannot stand idly by and watch the Tamil people being robbed of their freedom and facing genocide on a continuous basis in the North and East of Sri Lanka. "The Tamils were the original inhabitants of that part of Sri Lanka and they must be granted their freedom," said Mr Govender. Mr Govender is the latest Tamil leader in South Africa to call for justice and freedom for Tamils in Sri Lanka. Early in January, the new leader of the South African Tamil Federation, Mr Karthi Moothsamy, also made a similar call for the culprits of the Tamil genocide to be brought to justice before the International Criminal Court. Mr Govender earlier in the meeting emphasised that he would play a constructive and active role in promoting the Tamil language, culture, tradition and music among the Tamil descendants in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. "We have to work from the grass-roots levels to meet the cultural, social, linguistic and other needs of the people," Mr Govender told the meeting soon after being elected. SOCIAL ISSUES TO BE TACKLED Mr Govender said the people faced many social challenges, especially drug addiction and women and child abuse. He said it was vitally important for the organisation to work with the "grass-roots" people in order to help people affected by such problems. "We have to take the leadership roles on many issues and, therefore, we will go out there and interact with organisations and people. We especially want to concentrate on the youth as the young people need to become involved in the promotion of our cultures, traditions, language and music. "We also want to tackle the issue of priests who manipulate temple organisations for their own personal interests. Some of these priests have turned some temple organisations into war zones. "We cannot allow this type of divisions in our organisations," he said. MR BALAN GOUNDER Mr Govender took over from 81-year-old Mr Balan Gounder, who did not stand for re-election. Mr Gounder was, however, chosen by Mr Govender as his deputy. The leadership of the Tamil Federation of KZN prior to Mr Gounder was occupied by Bala Naidoo, who holds a senior position in the South African Police Service(SAPS). Mr Govender's other officials are: Mrs Kogie Moorthi and Mr Saths Chettiar, joint secretaries; Mr Krish Nair, treasurer; and Dr Ganas Bull Murugan, Public Relations Officer. The committee members elected are: Mrs Salo Muthen (Tamil Advancement Society), Mr Barry Pillay (Tamil Protective Society) of Pietermaritzburg, Mrs Veni Pather (former PRO), Mr Mervyn Reddy and Mr Jaya Pillay (former joint secretary). Mr Govender's election follows in the wake of the election of Mr Karthy Moothsamy of Benoni as the new president of the South African Tamil Federation late lasy year. MR KARTHI MOOTHSAMY AND MR MICKY CHETTY Mr Moothsamy was one of the leaders who attended the meeting along with his executive officials - Mr Marie Pillay-Ramaya and Mr Pops Govender. The immediate former president, Ms Pauline Naidoo, also arrived from Johannesburg to attend the meeting. The leader of the International Organisation for the Promotion of Tamil and former a former SATF president, Mr Micky Chetty, was also present. 'BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN OTHERS' Mr Moothsamy, who was called upon to address the meeting, pledged his full support to Mr Govender and his new officials. He called on people to "stop throwing stones" and become "part of the solution". "Be the change you like to see in others", he urged the people. "There is no turf war. We are working for the people." Mr Moothsamy re-iterated that the SATF would not "play second fiddle" to any other organisation.

SOUTH AFRICA URGED TO ACT AGAINST GENOCIDE OF TAMILS IN SRI LANKA

The South African Tamil Federation and the Solidarity Group for Peace and Justice in Sri Lanka have appealed to the South African Government to call for an internationally-sponsored and independent commission of inquiry into the genocide of more than 70 000 Tamils in Sri Lanka in 2009. The two groups made the call following reports that the United States, Britain and other countries will make a similar call at the next session of the UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva next month. JACOB ZUMA In a letter to the office of President Jacob Zuma, the SATF and the Solidarity Group said according to Tamil organisations in the United States, the US was planning to propose a resolution against Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council session on the issue of accountability and a political solution for the Tamils in Sri Lanka. "The US Tamil organisations include the Federation of Tamil Sangams of the United States, Illankai Tamil Sangams, United States Tam Political Action Council and the World Thamil Organisation," said the two progressive organisations. "The US Tamil organisations believe that the US would bring in a stronger resolution, calling for an independent international investigation if they feel they will get support for such a resolution from countries such as South Africa and India. "In this respect, we call on the South African Government, which has always supported the struggles of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka, to openly call for an independent and international investigation now, when the resolution is still being drafted. An unambiguous position by our Government early in the process will clear the way to persuade other African, Asian and other countries to support such a strong resolution." SOUTH AFRICAN TAMIL FEDERATION The SATF said: "We, the SATF, which represents South Africans whose mother tongues are Tamil, plead with the Government to take the following actions: "1. To openly and publicly call for, and state its support for a resolution calling for an independent international investigation against Sri Lanka. "2. Urge the Goverment to include in the resolution a clear call to investigate Genocide, in addition to investigating war crimes and crimes against humanity. "3. Ensure that Tamil interests and South African interests are aligned and no attempt is made by the Government or its officials to weaken or water down any US-led resolution on Sri Lanka." ENDS - MS/SOUTH AFRICA