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www.tamilarangam.netWhat U.S. Senator wroteto President JayawardeneUnited StatesWASHINGTON. DC 20510May 29, 1985Honorable J.R. JayewardenePresidentSri LankaColombo, Sri LankaDear Mr. President:As a supporter of the efforts of thepeople of Sri Lanka to build a democraticsociety, I am deeply disturbed by theescalation in the level of violence betweenSinhalese and Tamils over the past fewmonths.There is a large community of SriLankans in my state of Massachusetts,and they have expressed their anguishand anger to me in the hope that theUnited States Senate would support effortsto reduce the violence in your country.Several of my colleagues in the Senatehave previously expressed their concernsover the negative effects of Sri Lankagovernment policies as they impact uponthe welfare of the Tamil minority in yourcountry. This concern has been heightenedby the latest round of violence and yourrecent call for the creation of martial-tawcourts and the right to arm local communities.Therefore, it is even moreimportant in light of the new outbreaksthat the government do everything it canto seek peaceful solutions to the problemsin your country and to prevent widespreadcommunal violence from occurring.There are several major areas of concernto me. First, the impact of governmentmilitary activities on civilians, especiallyin Tamil areas, can only contribute to aworsening of the situation in your country.Over-reactions by the military forces andreprisals against civilians for guerrillaattacks on the military can only contributeto a further polarization of the situation.The rights of all civilians must be securedagainst arbitrary arrests and detentionwithout trial.Second, the choking of the economyin many Tamil areas stemming from theimposition and curfews and light militarycontrols can only contribute to a worseningof the economic and political inequitiesalready felt by the Tamils. Fishermenhave been prevented from pursuing theirlivelihood, and the military have blockedor delayed food shipments from the southto areas in the north of your country whichare dependent upon such shipments.Third, 1 am concerned over the inequitiesin the distribution of U.S. economic aidwithin your country. I have been advisedthat despite large contributions of aid toSri Lanka, little or none of that aid isgoing into Tamil areas. As a member ofthe Senate Committee on Foreign Relationswhich has a responsibility for overseeingthe expenditure of U.S. aid funds, I wouldfind such discrimination, if it is occurring,to be unacceptable which would warranta major re-evaluation of our government'sprogram in your country.I am a strong believer that Sri LankaTamil refugees in SwitzerlandShould remain one, indivisible country.However, after studying the, history ofyour nation, I believe that some way mustbe found to grant the Tamils more autonomywithin a unified Sri Lanka. By refusing tonegotiate on this point now, I am afraidthat the government only strengthens thepositions of the separatists.I recognise there are regional aspectsto this conflict as well, and that India couldplay a role in facilitating a satisfactorypolitical solution. I hope that your respectivegovernments can negotiate to preservethe integrity of Sri Lanka and reduce thesources of conflict between Sinhaleseand Tamils.Also, I am aware there are those whocounsel that a tougher policy is the onlysolution. However, such a course seemsmore likely to lead to an endless cycle ofsuffering — a cycle that can only threatenthe democratic traditions which have sodistinguished Sri Lanka since you gainedyour independence.I hope that you will give considerationto the concerns I have raised and thatyou will seek a peaceful, political, negotiatedsolution to the issue which divide theSinhalese and the Tamils.Sincerely,John KerryFaced with the flood of requests for asylumin Switzerland, the authorities are planninga change in the law on asylum. In thiscontext, Therese Obrecht, a journalist ofthat country interviewed Elisabeth Kopp,Swiss Federal Councillor and Head of theFederal Department of Justice and Police.Among the questions asked, was one thatspecifically concerned Sri Lankan Tamilrefugees, and here is the answer:Question : Why did the arrival of about2,000 Tamils from Sri Lanka upset publicopinion so much, whereas the waves ofHungarian and Czech refugees wereabsorbed without great difficulty ?E.Kopp : This is probably because theCzechs and the Hungarians were Europeanrefugees and so that Swiss population wasbetter able to understand the reasons whythey came here. With, the arrival of theTamils from Sri Lanka, Switzerland wasfaced with a problem of minorities, thistime originating in the Third World. Lackof awareness of this problem is one of thereasons which provoked hostile reactionsfrom part of the population.(By courtesy: REFUGEES, UNHCR publication— August 1985). Mjkpo;j; Njrpa Mtzr; Rtbfs;