March 27, 2012By Colombo Telegraph -
Delegates from Tamils for Obama accepted an invitation from Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake and met with him and other State Department officials on February 29, 2012. The delegates discussed matters concerning Tamils in Sri Lanka with Blake and several State Department officials and then handed Blake two copies of Tamils for Obama’s petition for a “Referendum in Sri Lanka to Gain Self-determination for Tamils,” and asked him to hand the second copy to Secretary Clinton.
Delegates from Tamils for Obama accepted an invitation from Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake and met with him and other State Department officials on February 29, 2012. The delegates discussed matters concerning Tamils in Sri Lanka with Blake and several State Department officials and then handed Blake two copies of Tamils for Obama’s petition for a “Referendum in Sri Lanka to Gain Self-determination for Tamils,” and asked him to hand the second copy to Secretary Clinton.
New York, New York (PRWEB) March 27, 2012
Delegates from Tamils for Obama met with Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake last February 29, 2012, and discussed matters important to Tamils in Sri Lanka.
“We also handed him a copy of our Referendum in Sri Lanka to Gain Self-determination for Tamils,” said a press spokesman for Tamils for Obama, “It is modeled on the one that was recently voted on in southern Sudan, and which led to the creation of the new country of South Sudan. We hope for a similar referendum and result in northeastern Sri Lanka.
“We also gave him a second copy which we asked him to pass along to Secretary of State Clinton. He promised it would be done, and immediately passed the copy along to a subordinate official to take to Secretary Clinton. This petition was signed by more than 31,000 people, Tamils and non-Tamils,” said the spokesman. “Tamils for Obama has been gathering signatures for this petition since last June.”
Blake was accompanied at the meeting by three other State Department officials.
“When we handed the petition to Secretary Blake, we commented that it was appropriate in a democracy to get the opinion of the people who will be affected by an official action,” said one of the Tamils for Obama delegates who attended the meeting. “We think that the consent of the people makes any subsequent action more legitimate.
“We want to thank all those people who signed the petition,” said the press spokesman. “We think that if our effort is successful and a country of Northeastern Sri Lanka—Tamil Eelam—results, this may become a historic document, and these signatures will be part of it.”
To see the Referendum, go to: http://www.tamilsforobama.com/Referendum2011/english.asp
To see the initial press release “Tamils for Obama Launches a Signature Campaign for a Referendum in Sri Lanka to Gain Self-Determination for Tamils”, go to:http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/6/prweb8503874.htm
Tamils for Obama is a politically active group of Tamil Americans. We supported Hillary Clinton and then Barack Obama in the Democratic primary and US general election in 2008. We believe that over 70,000 Tamil civilians were massacred during the last weeks of the Sri Lankan civil war. We have watched the behavior of the Sri Lankan Singhalese victors after the war, and we strongly conclude that Tamils in Sri Lanka will only be safe when this unfortunate island is divided into two states.
To contact the group, call at (617) 765-4394 and speak to, or leave a message for, the Communication Director, Tamils for Obama.
Email: info(at)TamilsforObama(dot)com