December 18th 2009
Last night Queen Mary Students' Union passed a motion proposed by members of its Tamil Society in association with SAGT to get behind a campaign to promote rights for Tamils in Sri Lanka.
The motion (entitled 'Free The Tamils') committed the QMSU to a number of lobbying activities including letters to institutions such the EU, Commonwealth, British Government and British stores in relation to their involvement with Sri Lanka. QMSU will therefore support moves to suspend Sri Lanka from the Commonwealth, oppose the extension of the EU's GSP+ and to condemn the British Government's sale of arms to that regime. QMSU will also use its media to highlight the plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka and the campaign in general.
Attendees at the Union's meeting listened to and read the facts of Sri Lanka's genocide against the Tamil community ever since Independence in 1948. This includes the exclusion of the Tamil language from Government bodies (1956), countless pogroms targetting innocent civilians (1983 et al), seeming impunity from prosecution of murders and rapists where the victim is Tamil, ethnic cleansing of ancient Tamil lands and the recent holding of civilians in concentration camps.
The motion was passed by 68 votes.
This is believed to be the first ever British Student Union to adopt the Tamil cause.
Graham Williamson, a Director of the human rights group ACT NOW who attended the meeting as a guest said "This is great news since it is not only Tamils who are backing their just cause but an institution representing ALL students. The Tamil students and their supporters including the Amnesty International students should be proud that all their hard work has paid off and are to be congratulated on their famous victory. Let us hope that other University Student Unions and ultimately the NUS adopt similar motions and I would urge all Tamils and their supporters to work towards that"
Full motion: http://tinyurl.com/yd9j86q
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