Colombo: An international peace advocacy
group has asked the Tamil diaspora to give up support for the
Pro-LTTE separatist ideology.
The International Crisis Group (ICG), a Brussels based
independent non-governmental organisation, said: "until it
moves on from its separatist, pro-LTTE ideology, the diaspora
is unlikely to play a useful role supporting a just and
sustainable peace in Sri Lanka."
In a 29-page report titled 'The Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora
after the LTTE', ICG said that the commitment of many members
of the diaspora for a separate Tamil Eelam, had widened the
gap between them and Tamils in Sri Lanka.
"Most in the country (Sri Lanka) are exhausted by decades
of war and are more concerned with rebuilding their lives
under difficult circumstances than in continuing the struggle
for an independent state," the ICG said.
"There is no popular support for a return to armed
struggle. Without the LTTE to enforce a common political line,
Tamil leaders in Sri Lanka are proposing substantial reforms
within a united Sri Lanka," the report said.
"To ensure the current peace is a lasting one, the Sri
Lankan Government must address the legitimate grievances at
the root of the conflict: the political marginalisation and
physical insecurity of most Tamils in Sri Lanka," the report
said.
"India, Japan, Western governments and multilateral
organisations can do much more to assist the political
empowerment of Tamils in Sri Lanka and press Colombo to
address the causes behind the rise of the LTTE and other Tamil
militant groups," the report added.
"There should be no blank cheque for Colombo to
redevelop the north and east without first creating a
political climate where Tamils and Muslims can freely express
their opinions and have a meaningful role in determining the
future of the areas where they have long been the majority,"
the report added.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, February 25, 2010, 18:08