Councillor Chris Harris

On Saturday May 23rd I attended a large but peaceful rally organised by the Tamil community in Sydney where I read a statement of support from the Greens NSW parliamentarians – this statement also reflects my view.  Other speakers included Phillip Boulten, barrister defending Tamils who are being prosecuted on terror-related charges, Reverend John Barr, Uniting Church, and supporter of Tamil rights, Phil Glendenning, Director Edmund Rice Centre – an advocacy group for refugees, and Michael Thomson, president, Sydney University branch of the National Tertiary Education Union, NSW vice president general staff, plus Dr Sam Pari and other Tamil community leaders.

Below is the message from the parliamentarians
 

Statement by Greens NSW Members of Parliament
 
Ian Cohen, Sylvia Hale, John Kaye and Lee Rhiannon
 
Friends
 
Our hearts go out to you, your families and your community as you confront the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe that has been inflicted on the Tamils of Sri Lanka.
 
The Sri Lankan government and army have displayed an appalling level of brutality and callous disregard for lives of innocent civilians.
 
For this crime against humanity of historic proportions, they deserve global condemnation.
 
So too do their super-power allies, including the Chinese government, who have supplied the Sri Lankan military with weapons and support and enthusiastically leapt to the defence of the Rajapaksa government at the UN and in other international forums.
 
The Greens call on all governments to speak out against the callous disregard for human rights, the targeting of civilians and the exclusion of aid agencies and human rights monitors from the conflict zone.
 
It is time to show no tolerance to the perpetrators of heinous crimes against the Tamil people of Sri Lanka.
 
It is time to demand an end to super-power support for the murderous army and the government that supports them.
 
It is time for the international community to demand a fair deal for the Tamils.
 
The Greens share with you a commitment to working for a peaceful settlement in Sri Lanka that respects the rights of Tamils to live free of fear and to determine their own future. 
 
To all of you who have lost family members and friends and who have loved ones living in appalling conditions in territories now occupied by the army, our thoughts are with you.