Tamil activist demands referendum in Sri Lanka

Mumbai, Oct 9: Thirumurugan Gandhi, a Chennai-based prominent Tamil activist, on Thursday demanded human rights wing of the United Nations to conduct an investigation into the "genocide" in Sri Lanka in the last leg of the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Addressing reporters here, Gandhi said that the investigation is needed as it has constituted a similar probe for Syria and launched an international process to conduct referendum in East Timor, South Sudan.

On India's foreign policy, Gandhi, who is in the city to garner support of like-minded human rights activists, said, "India not consulting its foreign policy with Tamil Nadu is a 'violation' of its federal structure."

"I am making two more demands to the United Nations. First, there should be a referendum among Tamil people in Sri Lanka and second that India should come forward and accept its mistake on Sri Lanka relationship," Gandhi said.

The Tamil traditional homeland, mentioned in Indo-Lanka accord, is 100 per cent occupied with the ratio of one armed force for every six Tamils, Gandhi said and charged that the same military had committed 'genocide' against Tamils.

Hence, an international investigation into the "falling" graph of human rights is a must and so is a referendum for Tamil people in Srilanka, he said.

PTI