Tamil American Peace Initiative

Top Sri Lankan Tamil Politician Arrives in Washington, DC
Chief Minister to Call for Reform, Demilitarization in Meetings with US Officials

 

WASHINGTON, DC (July 6, 2015) – Championing human rights and reconciliation in Sri Lanka, C.V. Wigneswaran, first-ever chief minister of the country’s Northern Province, arrived today in Washington, DC, to encourage US leaders and officials to play a larger role in supporting justice and accountability in Sri Lanka.

“We welcome the chief minister to the United States, where he can serve as a voice for the Tamil population,” said Dr. Karunyan Arulanantham, executive director of the Tamil American Peace Initiative (TAPI), a nonprofit that seeks to promote peace, prosperity and reconciliation in Sri Lanka. “Mr. Wigneswaran stands for all the reforms that have been promised, but not yet delivered by administrations past and present: demilitarization, accountability for war crimes, the return of lands to rightful Tamil owners and the release of information on political prisoners. We hope that he enjoys his time in Washington and will make progress on issues that promote a just, free and inclusive society in Sri Lanka.”

A retired Supreme Court justice, Mr. Wigneswaran was elected chief minister in September 2013 in the Northern Province’s first-ever provincial council elections. In November 2013, British Prime Minister David Cameron met with Mr. Wigneswaran in the Northern Province, the first head of state to visit this area of the country since Sri Lankan independence in 1948.

Throughout his career, the chief minister has also fought for the rights of the Northern Province’s 70,000 war widows, economic development and improvements in education and other social services for the country’s traditional Tamil areas. His visit comes at an important time, just one month before parliamentary elections – which, after several delays, have been set for August 17 – and two months prior to the release of the UN’s report on war crimes in Sri Lanka, controversially postponed from March until September.

Sri Lanka’s civil war ended in May 2009 after 26 years of conflict. Since then, most land that has been illegally seized by the Sri Lankan military has yet to be returned to its rightful owners. Although some displaced families have been resettled, the military still maintains a large presence in the North and East and tens of thousands remain missing.

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The Tamil American Peace Initiative (TAPI) was formed by a group of Tamil Americans to help bring lasting peace, justice, democracy and economic development to Sri Lanka; to work toward true reconciliation in Sri Lanka by promoting justice, accountability and transparency; and to support a Sri Lankan government that will defend the rights and well-being of all its citizens.

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