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Thousands of Tamils urge UN to run the "Safe Zone" to stop the slaughter; Invoke Responsibility to Protect
Contact: Ellyn Shander, 203-561-0414, eshander@aol.com; Jana Kirupananthan, 917-769-7592
NEW YORK, April 14 /Standard Newswire/ -- Thousands will assemble on April 17th (Friday) at 10:00 am outside the United Nations headquarters in New York to urge Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and Security Council to immediately invoke the Responsibility to Protect and stop the impending bloodbath of Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka. After rallying in front of the UN from 10 am to 2 pm, they will march through the streets of NYC and end in Times Square.
Friday, April 17th
10 am to 2 pm: United Nations (1st Ave. and 46th Street)
2 pm to 5 pm: March to Times Square
The Sinhala-dominated Sri Lankan government declared a 48-hour ceasefire on April 12th, but local reports cite continued attacks, including the government's use of chemical weapons. The United Nations and the international community must push the government of Sri Lanka to extend and respect this "humanitarian pause" and ensure international aid and monitors are granted full access to the region.
The rally is organized by Tamils Against Genocide, a human rights advocacy group working to indict Sri Lankan officials with U.S. ties on charges of genocide. Rally participants will urge the UN Secretary General and Security Council to save the 330,000 civilians in the so-called "Safe Zone" from being slaughtered by the Sri Lankan forces. These Tamil civilians are encircled by the Sri Lankan military, who are exclusively from the majority Sinhalese community.
The only way to stop the impending bloodbath is for the UN to take charge of the "Safe Zone," said Tamils Against Genocide. Yesterday, Mexico's Ambassador to the UN expressed concern that there was a Responsibility to Protect the Tamil population currently under attack. R2P applies to situations when the sovereign country appears unwilling or unable to provide for the basic security of its populace.
Secretary Hillary Clinton, British FM Miliband, UN Human Rights Comissioner Navi Pillay and others have already urged the GOSL not to fire into the "Safe Zone." However, the GoSL has continued its intense bombing and shelling campaign, and is deliberately denying food and medicine to the Tamils. The UN must now take responsibility for providing food, medicine and shelter for Tamils. The UN should screen people to assess the wishes of those who want to leave the "Safe Zone," and facilitate their departure in an orderly manner. TAG also appeals to the UN to organize a referendum to assess Tamils' long-term political aspirations.
