Dharshan Chandramohan writes: Brothers and sisters, I am an ஈழம் தமிழர் — For those of you who don't know, that means that I am Tamil by ethnicity; and that my roots are unshakably and unmistakably planted in the Northern land of the country called Sri Lanka. I have to say this — over and over — because like in Palestine, there are droves of people who claim that I do not exist, that my people are not indigenous to the land that we have lived on for centuries, that they have a legitimate claim — moreover, a religious, sacred claim to that land.

The Sri Lankan Government has heralded this year as the year that they get rid of the Tamil Tigers — read "Tamil Problem" — read "Tamil People". And as a result the Sri Lankan Military has burnt the LTTE out of their de facto capital, out of their last stronghold, and into the jungle where, at most recent estimate, they have been confined to an area of 115 square miles — within which 250,000 Tamil civillians are at risk — and being bombed daily — with over three hundred civilians killed this week. The Sri Lankan Army calls them human shields. Further north, the Tamil people of யாழ்ப்பாணம் — in English, Jaffna — where my parents were born, are living under military occupation and over one million Tamils are living as internally displaced people. That's one million out of an estimated total population of 3 million — of which 250,000 are being systematically carpet bombed.

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Tamil war zone hospital hit again | Bloodbath unfolding in Sri Lanka | UN urges halt in S Lanka fighting | Sri Lankan Civilians Caught Between Worsening Military-Tamil Rebel Clashes | Sri Lankan suicide bombing: more hypocrisy from Washington | Killings and Concentration Camps: A Colossal Humanitarian Tragedy is Underway in Sri Lanka and No One is Saying a Word, Arundhati Roy | Large Protests Erupt In Support Of Tamils, Indymedia UK

Past Indybay Coverage Of Sri Lanka