High profile assassination demands massive response
On Friday morning,
10 November, a prominent Tamil MP in
Nadarajah Raviraj was a well-known
human rights lawyer, politically close to the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam and had been Mayor of the northern city of
The Chairperson
and chief spokesperson of the CMC is Siritunga Jayasuriya, secretary of the United Socialist Party (CWI,
He is constantly
receiving death threats. Friday’s outrageous and provocative high profile
killing is obviously aimed at silencing those who speak out against the
government and in defence of the Tamil minority.
In an interview
given to the London-based Tamil journal, Thesam, in
October Nadarajah Raviraj
was highly critical of the government for waging war on the Tamil minority and
cultivating paramilitary groups which have worked in collusion with the Sri
Lankan Army. He also accused the Sinhala chauvinist JVP (People’s Liberation
Front) of having blood on their hands.
Those who continue
to fight for the rights of the Tamil-speaking population are risking their
lives.
Out-and-out
communalist sectarian forces are behind the death squads, hoping to restart a
full-scale civil war. They are against any peace deal being signed with the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. As Siritunga explained on the morning of Raviraj’s
killing, “They are trying to destroy the bridges between the North and the
South”.
Recent peace talks
in
Since 1983 the
civil war has cost more than 60,000 lives and is draining the country’s
economy. The people of
The mourning
ceremony in
A call has gone
out for all political parties to attend the ceremony, except the government
parties. An appeal is being made for shops, offices and markets to close and
approaches are being made to trade unions to organise walk-outs and go to the
rally demanding action against the murderers. Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims who
participate will be united in saying the situation has gone too far. With this
latest killing, the mood is mounting for a united stance against the war as
well as against the kidnappings and killings.
The USP will be
campaigning even more vigorously, and with great courage in these circumstances,
for an end to the government cover-ups, for an end to the war and for the right
of Tamil-speaking people to self-determination to be honoured. It will step up
the struggle to get the needs of the working and poor people of
The Committee for
a Workers’ International is urging maximum solidarity to be shown with the USP
and the CMC. Massive international pressure is needed to get the Sri Lankan
government to take action against the death squads. We carry below the full
text of an international appeal made by the broad-based campaigning body known
as Citizens for Federal Lanka and also a message of protest sent by New
Socialist Alternative, CWI,
The country’s
president, Mahinda Rajapakse,
has spoken against the murder of Raviraj but his
government is still shielding the terror gangs. We are calling for an avalanche
of protests at the latest outrage to be made world-wide.
If you can telephone directly to his
office, please do.
The number is ++ 9411 25429 38 (up to 41).
The e-mail addresse
is:
The fax number is:
++94 11 2321404
Otherwise, bombard
your Sri Lankan embassy or consulate with letters, faxes and e-mails.
(Copies or reports of conversations to the
USP and the CWI by e-mail if possible: usp@sltnet.lk and cwi@worldsoc.co.uk)
Additional
pressure can be exerted by getting articles into newspapers, especially in Sri
Lankan communities, and holding public meetings publicising the atrocious
situation in the country.
Over the next few
days, pickets and protests will be held at consulates and embassies in
countries across the globe. Contact the CWI in your country or via our office
in
If you can make a
donation towards the courageous work of the USP at this time, it would be extremely
welcome.
This can be done
via ‘Campaign Sri Lanka’ at: Lloyds TSB, Leytonstone Branch, Sort code: 309503
Account number: 00023293.
Appeal from
Dear All,
As you know, there
is growing chaos here in
All killings in
the high security
Therefore there is
concern of more brutal killings, abductions and involuntary disappearances of
those who campaign in the "South" for a negotiated peace, in time to
come.
We therefore call
upon all you comrades, friends and colleagues of
against the brutal killing of MP Nadarajah
Raviraj and insist for a totally independent,
international investigation into the killing, as there had been absolutely no
outcome of any previous investigations on similar killings
against continued free movements of paramilitary groups,
despite the fact that the arrest of such a cadre while attempting to collect a
ransom from a relative of a businessman in Kotahena,
You may lodge your
protest with HE the President through
Fax - ++94 11
2321404
Phone - ++94 11 25429 38 up to 41 (Temple
Trees)
Mobile /handy - ++ 94 777 539955
E-mail: gosl@presidentsl.org
Do please copy
your protest to Leader of the Opposition, Ranil Wickramasinghe through his Media Secretary – e-mail –
saman4media@sltnet.lk and also Siritunga Jayasuriya, Chairman, Civil Monitoring Committee on
abductions, extra judicial killings and involuntary disappearances – e-mail – usp@sltnet.lk and to us as well.
If you lodge your
protest over the phone/mobile, please do copy a short script of the
conversation to all e-mail accounts given above.
Thank you
Citizens for
Federal Lanka
The killing of Nadarajah Raviraj the former
mayor of
Nadarajah Raviraj was a sitting MP
and was known for his views on the ethnic/national question of the Tamils in
In recent weeks Nadarajah Raviraj was active in
the Civil Monitoring Committee (CMC) - a popular initiative organised by the
left forces in
Being the dominant
political question in the
The communalist
sectarians are allowed to carry out their murderous campaigns without
hindrance. The killing of the likes of Raviraj and
other political figures is a ploy, as Siritunga
has said, to “destroy the bridges between the South and the North”. They
are aimed at silencing opposition to war and to frustrate the initiative
of genuine peace with dignity to all.
We condemn the
assassination of Nadarajah Raviraj.
We demand action to stop any further such killings. We condemn the inaction of
the government and its failure to rein in the sectarian chauvinist
communalist forces in
We will continue
to support all mobilizations in