By Carla Gorton
SYDNEY — A seminar, organised by the neethi forum at Sydney University on May 16, aimed at educating people about the history of the conflict in Sri Lanka and the challenges in achieving peace with justice. Neethi means "justice" in Tamil.
The neethi forum is a group of Australian Tamils who work to educate other Australians about the trauma and suffering of people in their homeland.
Speakers included Nick Cowdery, QC, who outlined international charters regarding the right of all people to self-determination, and Mano Navaratnam from Melbourne, who spoke about the economic embargo on the Tamil homeland and the role of women in the Tamil struggle.
Ana Pararajasingham, editor of Tamil Monitor, addressed the common stereotype of the war as Tamil "terrorism". He outlined the history of state terrorism as the root cause of the armed conflict.
Uniting Church ministers John Jegasothy and Andrew Williams also spoke. Jegasothy talked about Tamil refugee camps in Sri Lanka and the detention camps of the 1980s, where some of the worst torture on record was performed. Williams, who visited Sri Lanka recently, pointed out that the Australian embassy there is aware of damning reports by organisations such as the Red Cross which are not being released to the public.
The final speaker, Danny Sriskandarajah, a forum organiser, spoke of his experiences as a young Tamil in Australia.
Suggestions for education, research and campaigns were canvassed. Participants from a range of organisations expressed their support for the neethi forum and their willingness to join in solidarity activities with the Tamil people.