NEW YORK, USA, May 10, 2016 /EINPresswire.com/ — Former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, the Chairperson of the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation, will represent Sri Lanka at a special session of the United Nations General Assembly on May 11 at the UN Headquarters in New York. Ms. Kumaratunga will speak on the reconciliation work being carried out by the Government in her address ‘Leading by Example: Innovative Partnerships and Responses’. In an interview to the International media recently, Ms. Kumaratunga told The Hindu newspaper that the efforts of the government to promote national unity in Sri Lanka will break down unless there is reconciliation. She said that “it is absolutely crucial’ for reconciliation to occur. “However, Ms. Kumaratunga needs to realise that in order for the Tamils to move forward and for reconciliation to occur, the victims of war need to see that the issues surrounding justice and accountability for the war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocides have been addressed” said Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE). “We should not forget the mass killings of Tamil Civilians, the war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide that occurred. Like Mahinda Rajapaksa, Chandrika is now liable under the legal doctrine to take responsibility for crimes committed by herself, her former officers, former ministers and any other individuals that were working under her command”. TGTE urged Ms. Kumaratunga to explain her role in the events that occurred under her leadership. At this UN session, she owes an explanation on her role in the following: 1) The mass killings in Navali at St Peters Church on July 9, 1995. Credible evidence shows that the military dropped at least eight bombs on those who took refuge in the church, killing 155 civilians. 2) The bombing of a high school while in session in Nagarkovil on May 22, 1995, resulting in the death of 20, and seriously injuring 42 students. 3) Her “War for Peace” campaign, with heavy bombing and shelling of civilian targets in Jaffna, which over a period of two days resulted in more than 450 000 civilians fleeing for safety. Many women were raped by the armed forces and more than 700 were reported missing. A mass grave was later identified, where it is now believed to be the resting place of those that disappeared and went missing. 1) Market bombing in Tambirai on May 17, 1996, killing 7 civilians and seriously injuring many more. 2) Killings at the Bindhunuwewa Rehabilitation Centre for LTTE suspects who surrendered on October 25, 2000. A Sinhalese mob was allowed to storm the Centre and massacred 28 inmates and seriously injured 48 others, while 60 policemen stood by. 3) Bombing of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Madhu on November 20, 1999 resulting in the death of 40 people including children, as well as seriously injuring 60 others. TGTE also request that she explains to the victims, and to the wider International Community, why Commissions set up during her tenure failed to implement or release its findings. 1) When in 1978 Sri Lanka adopted a Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry Law, giving the executive broad powers to appoint investigatory bodies. 2) In 1994, Ms. Kumaratunga set up three geographically distinct commissions to investigate disappearance of persons since 1998 and to make charges against those responsible for the abductions. However, why some of the important recommendations listed below were not implemented needs to be explained: 1) The Commission recommended a vigorous prosecution of those responsible for disappeared. 2) Severe disciplinary measures be meted out to Government officers who failed to take adequate measures to prevent disappearances. 3) Appoint an independent Human Rights Prosecutor to be established as an institution. “It was Ms Kumaratunga who glorified the deeds of the Sri Lankan armed forces on June 7th, as a national heroes day in the year 2000, now became the most brutal and undisciplined forces that committed the massacre and continuing with the structural genocide on the Tamil Homeland” continued TGTE. “Before unity and reconciliation can even begin to occur, those guilty of genocide need to be investigated and prosecuted. Only then will justice be served, and we can then start thinking about moving forward with unity and reconciliation”. For further information contact moia@tgte.org BACKGROUND: Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka faced repeated mass killings since 1958 and the mass killings in 2009 prompted UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to appoint a Panel of Experts to report on the scale of the killings. According to UN internal review report on Sri Lanka, over 70,000 Tamils were killed in five months in early 2009 and Tamil women were sexually assaulted and raped by the Sri Lankan Security forces. There are over 90,000 Tamil war widows and thousands of Tamils disappeared due the conflict. According to this UN Panel, the killings and other abuses that took place amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Independent experts believe that there are elements of these abuses that constitute an act of genocide. Members of the Sri Lankan security forces are almost exclusively from the Sinhalese community and the victims are all from the Tamil community. A Buddhist Monk shot and killed a Sri Lankan Prime Minister 1959 for having talks with Tamil political leaders. Tamils overwhelmingly voted in a Parliamentary election in 1977 to establish an independent and sovereign country called Tamil Eelam. This Parliamentary election was conducted by the Sri Lankan Government. ABOUT TRANSNATIONAL GOVERNMENT OF TAMIL EELAM (TGTE): Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) is a democratically elected Government of a million strong Tamils (from the island of Sri Lanka) living in several countries around the world. TGTE was formed after the mass killing of Tamils by the Sri Lankan Government in 2009. TGTE twice held internationally supervised elections among Tamils around the world to elect 132 Members of Parliament. It has a bicameral legislature and a Cabinet. It held one of its Parliamentary sittings in the British Parliament. TGTE is leading a campaign to realize Tamils’ political aspirations through peaceful, democratic and diplomatic means. The Constitution of the TGTE mandates that it should realize its political objective only through peaceful means. The Prime Minister of TGTE is Mr. Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran, a New York based lawyer.