CPI(M) for autonomy to Sri Lankan Tamilss

August 8, 2011

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) called for specific measures for “the devolution of autonomy to the Tamil-speaking areas” of Sri Lanka at a meeting of the party's Central Committee here on Sunday.

 “Though two years have passed since the end of armed conflict in Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan government has not taken any worthwhile steps to reach a political settlement on the Tamil question,” the Central Committee of the party pointed out in a written statement.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa had promised a political settlement after the war, but no progress had been made, it said.

“It is essential that specific measures are taken for the devolution of autonomy to the Tamil-speaking areas of northern and eastern regions so that the Tamil people can live a life of dignity and as equal citizens within a united Sri Lanka,” it added.

The CPI(M) also called for stepping up of efforts to rehabilitate those displaced during the conflict and a high-level enquiry into the allegations of atrocities and human rights violations by the armed forces.

The delay in taking a decision on the Telangana issue also came up at the meeting.

“Though seven months have passed since the submission of the Sri Krishna Committee report, the Central government has not taken any decision on the issue of Telangana and the future of Andhra Pradesh,” it said, adding that the delay was only aggravating the situation.

Keywords: Sri Lankan Tamils issue
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Sri Lanka: Muslim war widows left without help in Sri Lanka

Three years since the end of the war, these women are homeless, jobless or without any kind of assistance. Many have lost children, killed by Tamil rebels. Some complain that they are discriminated based on their religion.

Potuvil – “We live miserable lives, without a home, work or someone to take care of us. We have been abandoned,” some war widows say. They are originally from the Eastern Province, the part of the country most affected by the war. They are all Muslim, from the villages of Kottukkal, Hijra Nagar, Kalapukattu and Sengamam. They fled their homes in 1990 and have not been able to go back. “We need a place to stay, even if it is not where we came from,” they say. “We cannot continue to burden our children. We have had enough.”

“Sinhalese and Tamil widows don’t have these problems. As Muslims, we suffer and have nothing,” one woman from Kottukkal said.

Many of these women have lost children, killed during the decades-long civil war by ethnic Tamil rebels from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The “luckier” ones only lost their homes and fields.

“The government and NGOs are promoting some housing projects but there is no room for us,” another woman, from Kalapukattu village, told AsiaNews. “Only 45 per cent of the widows got a new house. The other 55 is stuck in makeshift shelters or in relaties and friends homes.”

In addition to housing, money is another major problem. Some widows only get about 100 rupees a month (just over one US dollar) in government aid. Others can get up to 300 rupees (just over two US dollars) a day doing odd jobs.

Because of long-held traditions, widows are one of the most vulnerable groups in Sri Lankan society because they are seen as the embodiment of misfortune. This is even more so for Muslim widows who pay the price of prejudice against their religion.