Skip to main content

US TAMILS TO SUPPORT OBAMA AND THE DEMOCRATS


US Tamils are disappointed in Obama’s human rights record, but they (Tamils for Obama) cited President Obama sending Samantha Power and David Pressman, two of the administration’s senior foreign policy advisors, to Colombo to confer with Sri Lankans.


The US Tamils see these as positive signs that the Obama administration is likely to pay closer attention to Sri Lankan affairs during his next two years in office.


The Bush administration, the Tamils say, was never on their side and so they don’t expect the Republicans to be friendly or helpful to them in the future, which they think is another reason to vote for the Democrats.


“US Tamils should vote for the Democrats this year,” a spokesman for Tamils for Obama said. “We have reasons to hope that the Obama administration will take actions that will help Tamils in Sri Lanka if they still have a cooperative Congress. We have no expectation that the Republicans will help us, so we hope they don’t get control of Congress.


The spokesman for American Tamil group also noted that two senior administration foreign policy advisors had recently been in Sri Lanka. “They talked to Sri Lankan foreign policy officials, but they also went to Tamil areas and talked to civilians and Tamil leaders. We are encouraged because this is evidence that the Obama administration is now turning their eyes in the direction of Ceylon.


“We hope and expect that the island of Ceylon and its long-running civil war—we fear that the current quiet is only a pause in the violence—will now get some serious attention from the US. Maybe the administration will encourage a partition in Sri Lanka as they are doing in the Sudan.”


The US Tamils have little hope for help from Congressional Republicans. “The Bush administration saw our resistance to oppression by the Singhalese majority government as a terrorist movement, and they gave their support to Colombo. We have not heard anything that indicates the Republicans have changed their minds, so we continue to support Obama and the Democrats.”


“We cannot hide that we are disappointed in this administration’s human rights record, but we have hope that this will change if the administration still has a Democratic Congress to fall back on. We think that our Tamil friends in Sri Lanka will benefit from the change,” the spokesman concluded.

(PR Web reports)
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

In abrupt turnaround, Olympus admits it hid losses

Japan's Olympus admitted on Tuesday it hid losses on securities investments dating back two decades, bowing to weeks of pressure to explain a series of baffling transactions that have put the future of the firm in doubt. The revelations by the 92-year-old company appear to vindicate ex-CEO Michael Woodford, who has staged a campaign since being sacked on October 14 to force the firm to come clean on nearly $1.5 billion in questionable payments. Olympus President Shuichi Takayama blamed Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, who quit as president and chairman on October 26, Vice-President Hisashi Mori and internal auditor Hideo Yamada for the cover-up, saying he would consider criminal complaints against them. The admission after weeks of denials shocked investors, sending shares in the endoscope and camera maker skidding almost 30 percent and prompting the biggest non-Japanese shareholder to demand the replacement of the entire board. "Ignorance is no defense," said Jo...
Post a Comment
Read more

GL SLAMS ‘COLONIAL’ RIGHTS GROUPS

Sri Lanka’s foreign minister Gamini Lakshman Peiris rejected “colonial” criticism Tuesday of a government-appointed civil war probe, after foreign rights groups snubbed an invitation to attend. New York-based Human Rights Watch, London-based Amnesty International and Brussels-based International Crisis Group last week accused the panel of a cover-up and refused an offer from Colombo to appear before it. Peiris said in a speech to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a leading think-tank based in London, that the rights groups had displayed a “most unattractive attitude.” “It smacks of an attitude that is almost colonial, patronising and condescending, the assumption being that other people must step in because Sri Lankans are unable to chart a course for their own future,” he said. Peiris, who is in London for talks with the British government, said the LLRC was based on similar reconciliation commissions in countries such as South Africa. He urged rights groups and ...
Post a Comment
Read more

IRRESPONSIBLE TALK BY MEMBERS COST UNP ITS VOTERS, SAYS SAJITH

The voters have distanced themselves from the United National Party (UNP) because several members had demeaned the military victories during the recently concluded war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, said Hambantota District parliamentarian Sajith Premadasa. Former President Ranasinghe Premadasa’s son, Sajith was addressing a meeting at Gurutalawa at the Yatinuwara electorate in Kandy last evening to raise awareness on his Jathika Jeewaya Programme. Mr. Premadasa launched this programme within three electorates in the Gampaha District last week as well. Adding further, Sajith Pramadasa said the UNP suffered erosion in its support as some had uttered irresponsible comments when the Sri Lankan armed forces were gaining victory after victory in the fight against the LTTE. When the Army captured Thoppigala, some in the UNP had said that Thoppigala was only a jungle, while some had accused the then government and the military of claiming to be advancing towards Kilinochc...
Post a Comment
Read more