Memorandum of Protest
5th November 2008
His Excellency the High Commissioner,
The High Commission of Sri Lanka,
Kuala Lumpur.
Your Excellency,
Without taking sides as to who is fighting the ‘right war’, Malaysian Youths are deeply concerned with the alarmingly high rate of civilian casualties in the on going war.
Humanitarian Crisis
These displacements of civilians have in turn brought hardships such as:
· Lack of nutritional food or food supplements for pregnant women and lactating mothers.
· Premature births and miscarriages due to the stress of displacement.
· 90% of families have lost their livelihoods and livelihood equipment – which has created high levels of stress and depression in the heads of households as they are unable to provide for their families and have no hope for their future.
· The yearly monsoon rains has led to serious health issues due to the lack of adequate water and sanitation facilities.
· Lack or non-availability of transport facilities have made the displaced persons’ mobility totally hampered.
· Costs of petrol, diesel and kerosene have become beyond the reach of the people.
· Food prices have multiplied a hundred times.
Agricultural Production
The current displacement has produced a disastrous effect on agricultural production. Farmers have been forced to abandon their paddy fields when they are displaced.
24,500 hectares have been abandoned in the following areas:
· 9,500 hectares in Mannar District.
· 4,000 hectares in Mullaitivu District.
· 5,000 hectares in Vavuniya District.
· 6,000 hectares in Kilinochi District.
Medicine and Hospitals
Lack of fuel supply restricts generation of electricity and the movement of ambulance service.
Shelter
Approximately 15,000 families are currently living under trees, while the remainder of the internally displaced persons are sheltered in public buildings or in makeshift shelters made of tarpaulin sheets.
Water, Sanitation and Health
Education
Displacement has very drastically affected the school going children. 114 schools with 36,272 students have been displaced. Examinations have been suspended.
Primary and pre-school students have stopped attending classes regularly due to shelling and air attacks.
Attack on Civilians
Civilian areas are regularly bombed and shelled by the Armed Forces. This bombing and shelling has the effect terrorising the civilian population. Many of these attacks occur at night and in the early morning and in close proximity to civilian settlements.
Our Request
We believe that the conflict between the Tamil and Sinhalese communities must be resolved peacefully, and therefore:
We, the members of the Malaysian Indian Congress of Malaysia, in the name humanity call upon the Sri Lankan Government to stop forthwith the current military attack on the Tamils and take immediate steps to provide necessary aids to suffering Tamils.
We, also call upon the Sri Lankan Government to respect the wishes of the International Community’s to stop fighting and resume negotiation with all the parties concerned with a view of finding lasting peace between the Brothers of Sri Lanka.
We, most respectfully, request His Excellency the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in Kuala Lumpur to submit our Memorandum of Protest to the Government of Sri Lanka for its attention and action. We on our part will forward a copy of this Memorandum to our Foreign Affairs Ministry for their action.
We remain,
Yours truly,
Murugesan Sinnandavar
Organising Chairman
Youths for Peace in Sri Lanka
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