International Council of Eelam Tamils (ICET) says meeting shrouded in secrecy

The International Council of Eelam Tamils (ICET), a network of 14 Tamil diaspora groups worldwide released a statement on 07 April 2015 condemning, the talks held in Singapore between Tamil and Sri Lankan groups on promoting reconciliation and strengthening democracy in Sri Lanka. The ICET stated that the meeting lacked transparency and proper Tamil representation.

UTE, La Maison des Associations,
1a Place des Orphelins,
67000 Strasbourg, France
Web: www.iceelamtamils.com
Email: sec@iceelamtamils.com
April 7, 2014

Tamils question the legitimacy and intentions of the “In Transformation Initiative”

A press statement on “Dialogue on promoting reconciliation and strengthening of democracy in Sri Lanka,” which took place in Singapore, initiated by the Government of Switzerland and In Transformation Initiative claims to have included representation from diaspora which came as a surprise to the Tamil people.

The International Council of Eelam Tamils (ICET) which is a collective of grassroots Tamil diaspora organizations from 14 countries have been spearheading many initiatives to bring lasting peace to Eelam Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka. The conspicuous absence of legitimate representation of diaspora Tamils seriously calls into question the above initiative.

The fact that the above initiative is shrouded in secrecy raises serious concerns whether the legitimate aspirations and long term interests of the Eelam Tamils will be addressed by the above initiative. Will such initiative bear fruit if one of the major protagonists in this intractable conflict is kept out of the dialogue?

We strongly question the legitimacy of peace initiatives in the absence of any real changes in ground realities for the Tamil victims who are unable to articulate their legitimate aspirations under constitutional restrictions. This is further aggravated when initiatives that are purported to bring normalcy, do not have legitimate representation to speak up for the victims.