PROTEAS SHOW NO CONCERN ABOUT TAMIL HUMAN RIGHTS WHILE THEY PREPARE FOR TOUR OF SRI LANKA

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PROTEAS PREPARE TO TRAVEL TO SRI LANKA DESPITE THE CONTINUING OPPRESSION OF TAMIL PEOPLE

While the South African national cricket team, Proteas, under the captaincy of Hashim Amla prepare for their tour of Sri Lanka within the next few days, the Sri Lankan Government and its soldiers continue with their oppression of the Tamil people in the North and East of island country and also with their attacks on Tamil Muslims.

The Sri Lankan army has invaded the land of the Tamils in the North and East of the country, carry out daily raids on people and also use dastardly tactics of rape against Tamil women. All these are attempts to cow the Tamil people into submission. The continuing subjugation and oppression of the Tamil people follows the civil war which ended in 2009 when Sri Lankan soldiers butchered and massacred between 70 000 and 100 000 Tamils. This genocide is now being investigated by a special committee of three international personalities appointed by the UN Human Rights Commissioner, Dr Navi Pillay, who is a South African. Tamils in Sri Lanka, in Tamil Nadu and in diaspora are demanding that the perpetrators of the genocide, including the President Rajapakse and his brother, face the full might of international law at the International Court of Justice at the Hague in Holland.

We in South Africa support this campaign and also for sports and other sanctions to be imposed on Sri Lanka until the Tamil people enjoy full freedom. It's in this regard that the current tour of Sri Lanka by Amla's team is a national and international tragedy. We supported sanctions against apartheid South Africa and now we would have expected the free South Africa to support the freedom of oppressed people in Sri Lanka and other countries in the world. The South African cricket bosses should hand their heads in shame.

The late sports and cricket anti-apartheid activist and cricket administrator,Krish Mackerdhuj, would be turning in his grave at this lack of concern for the human rights of the Sri Lankan Tamil people by Haroon Lorgat and his henchmen.