Indian Jesuit calls on Rajapaksa and New Delhi to resolve the plight of Tamil people

(January 30, 2010) The Indian government must put pressure on Sri Lanka, to find a "political solution" to the Tamil question. This is the reaction of Jesuit Father Jebamalai Raja, coordinator of Ecumenical Christian Forum for Human Rights, to the victory of President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the 26 January elections. Speaking to AsiaNews he also highlights the role of New Delhi, which must "monitor the implementation" of a future agreement. Fr. Raja said that India "must push Rajapaksa to work to bring peace, justice and the end of the feeling of isolation and abandonment" that reigns among the Tamils of Sri Lanka. On the eve of elections, the refugees who have found refuge in India had little confidence in a possible change. Rajapaksa, in fact, can count on the solid support of the majority Sinhalese, while the Tamil expressed their preference for the opposition candidate, General Sarath Fonseka, who lost - with some shadows of doubt cast over the vote - the polls. The Jesuit explained that "more than 140 thousand displaced people have returned home, most of them to Jaffna, Mannar and Vavuniya. However, many still live in makeshift shelters such as churches and schools". The most serious situation of hardship affects "war amputees, widows, children and families of former rebels, for whom it will take time before they can return to a normal life. "They depend on humanitarian aid”, said Father Raja. During the war years more than 1,000 schools were closed and even now nearly 400 have yet to reopen their doors".