TNA welcomes screening of film; wants ongoing violations stopped

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP M.A. Sumanthiran yesterday welcomed the screening of the contentious film “The No Fire Zone” in Geneva yesterday on the sidelines of 22nd UNHRC sessions.

Following is the statement made by MP Sumanthiran.

On behalf of the Tamil People I wish to thank you Callum for that fillm. Our thanks our due to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch for sponsoring this event. A statement attributed to Schopenhauer says that every truth passes through three stages. In the first it is ridiculed, in the second it is opposed, in the third it is regarded as self-evident.

It is said that Truth is the first casualty of war. I’d like to say that Truth is also the first step in the path to reconciliation.

The UN Secretary General’s Panel of Experts reported that there were credible allegations that both sides to the conflict committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. It recommended an independent mechanism to investigate these alleged crimes. The TNA, as the elected representatives of the Tamil people, welcomed these recommendations and called for Independent International Investigations into the last phase of the war. We think this and the ongoing violations and persecution of the Tamil population need to be investigated and stopped.

When the Channel 4 footage was first released, the Government of Sri Lanka vigorously opposed it. Yet the government-appointed Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) too recommended that it should be investigated to ascertain its authenticity. We will co-operate with any investigation to uncover the Truth. It is the Truth that will lead to any kind of meaningful reconciliation and that is how the ongoing violations will stop.