[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 109 (Tuesday, July 31, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H4969]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  GENOCIDE AGAINST TAMILS IN SRI LANKA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shuster). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, genocide is often described as 
the planned and systemic annihilation of a racial, political or 
cultural group. As we look at different situations around the world, we 
often see instances in which genocidal activities are being carried 
out. We examine the struggle for self-determination in Kosovo, the 
ethnic conflicts in Bosnia and Macedonia and every other place where we 
have gone to safeguard the rights of ethnic minorities.
  We failed to do that in Rwanda, and I do not want us to ever sit by 
and allow this level of atrocity to occur again without our 
intervention.
  Unfortunately, there is another serious ethnic conflict under way of 
an almost genocidal bent in another part of the world. Let me tell you 
where it is and why we, the American people, do not know much about it 
despite the fact that our government is involved. The conflict of which 
I speak is the ethnic conflict that is taking place in Sri Lanka where 
the Tamil minority is systemically being destroyed by the Sinhalese-
dominated Government and its military.
  I have every reason to believe that the Tamil minority in Sri Lanka 
has been denied their legitimate rights and are being subjected to the 
most inhumane treatment by the Sinhalese-dominated Government since the 
nation became independent in 1948.
  Since the Tamil people and the Sinhalese people are concentrated 
predominantly on different parts of the island since ancient times, 
Sinhalese politicians have virtually ignored the legitimate concerns of 
the Tamil minority because they are elected almost exclusively by 
Sinhalese electorates.
  The Tamil minority, which yearned to share the benefits of their 
newly found freedom with the Sinhalese, were dumbfounded when the 
Sinhalese-dominated Government rejected Tamil demands for the use of 
their language for regional administration, seek administration to 
universities based on merit, to secure employment opportunities without 
discrimination, to prevent their traditional homeland from being 
settled by Sinhalese citizens under government-sponsored colonization 
schemes and to develop their districts.
  Furthermore, Tamil demands for any measure of regional autonomy for 
Tamil areas receive rejection by the Sinhalese-Buddhist clergy on the 
grounds that it would threaten the spiritual and ethnic integrity of 
the Sinhalese-Buddhist nation.
  Every peaceful demonstration staged by Tamils to show their 
displeasure with the government was broken by force, mostly with the 
tacit approval of Sinhalese politicians. Hundreds of Tamils have been 
killed; their property damaged. As a result, almost half a million 
Tamils have had to take refuge in foreign countries. Another half 
million have been displaced from their homes within Sri Lanka. Their 
most treasured library along with some of the rarest books describing 
their ancient history and culture were deliberately burned by the army 
also with the tacit approval of a government minister.
  Under these circumstances, Tamils felt as if they had no choice but 
to encourage its youth to organize, and many of their young people have 
taken military action, fighting back as part of a self-determination 
and liberation front.
  The LTTE, as in every civil war, has carried out some violent acts 
that targeted government establishments in Sinhalese areas to counter 
the brutal activities of the Sri Lanka Government and has succeeded in 
some instances. Now comes the time for the real intervention that is 
needed. We ought not stand by and allow this ethnic conflict to 
continue to the demise of a people, specially those who constitute the 
minority.
  Therefore, I hope that our government, this government, will become 
more diplomatically involved, will try and bring about peaceful 
resolution of this conflict that is wrecking a nation.

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