Chinese Economic & Infrastructure Developments in Sri Lanka and Tamil National Question - TGTE

Chinese policies for so-called national unity and international diplomacy are not only ineffective but also counterproductive.

COLOMBO, SRI LANKA, March 19, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In his opening speech at the March meeting of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) Parliament, TGTE Prime Minister Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran noted the recent visit of China’s National Ethnic Affairs Commission (NEAC) to Sri Lanka. The keynote elaborated on the true nature of Chinese policies and history of China-Sri Lanka relations and reemphasized TGTE's position that accountability for Sri Lankan State crimes against Eelam Tamils is a prerequisite for any political resolution to the Tamil National Question to be achieved.

Regarding the week-long February visit by the Chinese NEAC delegation to Sri Lanka, TGTE's Prime Minister remarks called attention to the fact that that China's modus operandi, namely economic and infrastructure developments, does not work domestically to resolve national questions, citing the internationally-condemned situations of the Uyghurs, Tibetans, and Mongols as examples. Similarly, this approach will not work to resolve national conflicts in the international arena (e.g. Sri Lanka).

Chinese policies for so-called national unity and international diplomacy are not only ineffective but also counterproductive. The Prime Minister noted that the thrust of China’s policies, whether via opportunistic economic tactics or oppressive cultural measures, is to destroy the distinct identity of a nation and their minority groups and force assimilation into the hegemony.

In addition, TGTE's parliamentarians were reminded that Chinese foreign policy is premised on state-to-state relationships and does not consider human rights. Thus, should Sri Lanka follow in China's footsteps, it will be moving away rather than toward any political resolution.

These opening remarks also brought to the fore the foundational history of China’s diplomatic relations with Sri Lanka, which it was noted has been heavily influenced by Buddhism and can be traced back as far as 1409, when Chinese Admiral Zheng He visited Sri Lanka to garner recognition for the Ming Emperor. During this visit, Admiral Zheng He presented gifts including gold and silver to the Buddhist temple at Adam’s Peak. Almost 600 years later, the building of the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall in 1993 and the Lotus Tower in deference to Buddha’s Lotus Sutra in Sri Lanka demonstrate the common religious and exclusionary underpinning of Chinese-Sri Lankan relations that lingers.

The opening remarks at the democratically-elected TGTE Parliament session concluded with reemphasis of TGTE's position that a prerequisite for any political resolution to the Tamil National Question in Sri Lanka is the credible pursuit of accountability for the genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes committed against Eelam Tamils and also noted that accountability for these grave crimes will not only help deter future atrocities everywhere but also fortify frameworks for political solutions that seek to ensure “Never Again.”


* ABOUT THE TRANSNATIONAL GOVERNMENT OF TAMIL EELAM (TGTE):

The Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) is a democratically elected Government of over 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 held four internationally supervised elections among Tamils around the world to elect 132 Members of Parliament. It has two chambers of Parliament: The House of Representatives and the Senate and also a Cabinet.

TGTE is leading a campaign to realize the political aspirations of Tamils through peaceful, democratic, and diplomatic means and its Constitution mandates that it should realize its political objectives only through peaceful means. It’s based on the principles of nationhood, homeland and self-determination.

TGTE seeks that the international community hold the perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide against the Tamil people to account. TGTE calls for an internationally conducted and monitored referendum to decide the political future of Tamils.

The Prime Minister of TGTE is Mr. Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran, a New York based lawyer.

Email: pmo@tgte.org
Twitter: @TGTE_PMO
Web: www.tgte-us.org

Contact:
Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran
Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE)
+1 614-202-3377
r.thave@tgte.org

Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran
Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE)
r.thave@tgte.org
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