All Ceylon Tamil Congress MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam has written to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay urging the state assembly to reaffirm its 2013 unanimous resolution recognising a genocide against Sri Lankan Tamils and calling for an international criminal investigation.
In a statement issued on May 10, Ponnambalam congratulated Vijay on his appointment as Chief Minister following last week’s Tamil Nadu Assembly election and asked him to demonstrate continuity in the state’s stance on the Sri Lankan Tamil issue. He framed the appeal around the annual May 18 commemoration of “Mullivaikkal Genocide Day,” which marks the final battles of the 2009 civil war in which large numbers of Tamil civilians were killed.
Ponnambalam acknowledged that Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam was not in existence when the 2013 resolution was passed, but said the new government had the opportunity to send “a strong message” by reaffirming the same position during the opening session of the assembly this month.
“Such a move will show that Tamil Nadu maintains a consistent and determined stance on the Sri Lankan Tamil issue. It will strengthen the demand for an international criminal investigation and secure for you an enduring place in the hearts of Sri Lankan Tamils worldwide,” Ponnambalam said in the letter.
The 2013 resolution was passed unanimously by the then-J Jayalalithaa government and remains a reference point for Tamil political parties in both Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka’s North-East. Ponnambalam’s appeal follows a separate letter from the Tamil National Council, which he also leads, that urged Vijay to raise broader Eelam Tamil aspirations with New Delhi and on international platforms.
Sri Lanka has been carefully managing engagement with the new Tamil Nadu administration. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake congratulated Vijay last week, with protocol issues raised by the UNP over the form of greeting used. Vijay also wrote to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar seeking the release of six fishermen detained by the Sri Lanka Navy.
Sources: Newswire — MP Gajendrakumar calls on Vijay to reaffirm 2013 Sri Lankan Tamil genocide TN resolution.
