The Genocide Occurring in Sri Lanka- Free Talk

Asia's longest civil war was declared over, four weeks ago when the Sri Lankan military claimed victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The UN estimates that over 20000 Tamil civilians were killed in the last week of fighting alone. This is on top of the estimated 7000 civilian deaths that are believed to have occurred due to the conflict between January - March 2009.

Around 300 000 Tamil civilians who managed to survive the conflict are now being forcibly held by the Sri Lankan military in overcrowded, unroofed internment camps. The UN Secretary General has condemned the living conditions in the camps as being worse than those in the Congo & Dafur and many independent observers have made comparisons to the concentration camps that were set up by the Nazis during World War 2.

Independent journalists, monitors and even foreign diplomats are being prohibited by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) from entering and reporting the affected areas. The GoSL is also blocking humanitarian aid into the camps contributing to further needless loss of life and suffering for the internally displaced civilians. In addition there are widespread independent reports of families being separated and systematic raping of women & children by Sri Lankan military personnel.

In the face of the growing body evidence that indicates a deliberate campaign of ethnic cleansing and genocide is being perpetrated against Tamil civilans, this free presentation outlines the future struggle that lies ahead to restore Peace and Justice in Sri Lanka.

Date: Sunday- 21st June 2009

Time: 3 – 5.00 pm

Venue: Rotunda Theatre R1, Building 8, Monash University, Clayton Campus, Wellington Road, CLAYTON
(Melway 70G10, Enter via Wellington Road to S2 Car Park
on the left of roundabout)

Speaker: Dr Brian Senewiratne

Followed by Afternoon Tea and Refreshments

Dr. Brian Senewiratne
BA (Cambridge),MA (Cambridge), MD (London), MBBChir. (Cambridge),
MBBS (London), DRCOG (London), MRCP (London), FRCP (London), MRACP, FRACP

Dr Brian is a consultant physcian who has been practicising and residing in Brisbane as an Australian citizen for over the past 32 years. He was born into the ruling and majority Sinhalese community of Sri Lanka. As a member of the powerful political clan that includes the Bandaranaike family, Dr Brian grew up in an atmosphere steeped in politics. However from a young age, he possessed an acute ability to discern between right and wrong and was also endowed with the courage to act out his convictions.
Dr Brian is a long-term, internationally renowned Human Rights activist and has been a member of Amnesty International since its inception in 1961. He has been particularly involved for more than four decades, in exposing the human rights abuses and violations perpetrated by the Sri Lankan government and affliated paramilitary groups and is the author of various books and publications on these topics.