The Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) announced yesterday that it would hold a protest against President Maithripala Sirisena’s visit to the UN on September 19th, to speak at the UN General Assembly.

In a statement the TGTE said the protestors would highlight President Sirisena’s role in the ‘killing of Tamils and rape of Tamil women by Sri Lankan Security forces under his command, when he was serving as the acting defense minister during the final weeks of the war.’

‘It was during his time that Sri Lanka rejected appeals by world leaders to stop shelling and bombing an area called “No Fire Zone” which was created by the Sri Lankan Government, where thousands of Tamil civilians assembled for safety,’ the TGTE said in its statement.

The TGTE pointed out that President Sirisena was the Minister in Charge of Defence during the last two weeks of the war in which most of the leaders of the LTTE were killed with General Fonseka at the helm of the Army.

They also quoted an Economist article that said ‘Sirisena is hardly a beacon of hope for the Tamils: he was acting as defence minister in the nightmarish final fortnight of the war.’

‘Recently, the war time Commander of Sri Lankan Security forces confimed that Sri Lankan Security Forces committed war crimes during the war,’ the TGTE said, giving facts and figures relating to their allegations.

The 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.