Tamils for Labour Party

Tamils for Labour call for action in Sri Lanka at the Labour Party Conference

Sen Kandiah, Chair of Tamils for Labour, urged the Labour Party to continue its strong support for the cause of truth, accountability and justice in Sri Lanka, during his speech at the Labour Conference on Monday 26th September.
Speaking in front of a packed main auditorium during the ‘Britain in the World’ debate, he said that those responsible for the deaths of 40,000 Tamils in the last days of Sri Lanka’s armed conflict in 2009 must be held to account. The only way for this to be achieved is for an independent, international commission of inquiry to be established to investigate these allegations, Mr Kandiah declared to enthusiastic applause.

He also raised the desperate situation of the Tamil people, two and a half years since the end of the war. “Some 180,000 people remain displaced, much Tamil land has been taken over by the military, thousands are detained without trial, enforced disappearances are commonplace and 90,000 Tamil widows are at risk of rape by the Sri Lankan army.” Mr Kandiah stated that in light of the above, the international community must deliver a clear and united message to the Sri Lankan government. “You will be shunned, ignored and condemned until you end repression and allow the fresh air of human rights to be inhaled across the island.”

Thanking the last Labour government for ensuring that the 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) would not be hosted by Sri Lanka, he called on the party to support the withdrawal of Sri Lanka’s right to host the 2013 CHOGM, given the dire state of human rights in the country. In his concluding remarks to Conference, Mr Kandiah expressed gratitude on behalf of Tamils for Labour and the Tamil community for Labour’s support for Tamils and human rights and said that “our cry for fairness and dignity should be heard all over the world.”

Tamils for Labour will be hosting a fringe meeting at Conference on Wednesday 28th September, entitled ‘Human Rights in Sri Lanka’. The event, which will be attended by the Shadow Foreign Secretary, Rt. Hon Douglas Alexander MP, will discuss, in depth, the important issues raised by Mr Kandiah.

Labour MPs call for urgent independent, international investigation into war crimes in Sri Lanka

Shadow Foreign Secretary, Douglas Alexander MP, told a packed meeting of Tamils for Labour, on June 15th 2011, that he would work with them for peace, justice and accountability for Tamils and for Sri Lanka. With standing room only, 14 Labour MPs addressed the meeting committing themselves to campaign tirelessly for an independent, international investigation into alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka. MPs expressed shock and revulsion at scenes they had witnessed in the Channel 4 programme ‘Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields’. Many MPs present expressed their view that what happened in Sri Lanka was genocide against the Tamil people. Stephen Pound MP said “40,000 innocent Tamils lost their lives – I say this was genocide.”