Published: November 19, 2009
Non-Profit Organization Democracy for Tamils Airs National TV Campaign
PSA draws attention to the little known plight of the
250,000 families imprisoned in Sri Lanka
Democracy for Tamils (
www.DemocracyForTamils.com), a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting democratic rights for Sri Lankan Tamils, this month airs a national TV ad campaign aimed at drawing US attention to the ongoing suffering of the over quarter million men, women and children who have been wrongly imprisoned by the Sri Lankan government following the end of the long-waged civil war. The 30 second television spot airs throughout the month across major cities and highlights the humanitarian crisis brought about by the deplorable (and deteriorating) living conditions of the families in the Sri Lankan government's internment camps.1
Following the defeat of the Tamil Tigers in May of this year, the government of Sri Lanka interned approximately 280,000 innocent civilian survivors, about 10-percent of the total Tamil population in Sri Lanka. In addition, the government has severely limited access to the camps to international Non Governmental Organizations (NGO), including the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) and United Nations- (UN) based organizations. The media is also barred from the camps, enabling the Sri Lankan government to control press coverage and suppress a public outcry for the inhumane treatment of the surviving Sri Lankan Tamil civilians.
The TV spot, created to engage US-citizens to help with this cause, uses moving visual imagery (actual photos of those imprisoned), music and historical slogans and comparisons from other well-documented ethnic atrocities to demonstrate the dire circumstance that is currently playing out, with little to no US public awareness.
A copy of the PSA can be viewed here: http://www.democracyfortamils.com
About Democracy for Tamils
Democracy for Tamils was formed by a group of professionals with the goal of promoting democratic rights for Sri Lankan Tamils. The organization is federally registered as a non-profit corporation in Canada. Democracy for Tamils is operated with stringent legal and financial controls, commensurate with the practices of a public corporation.
The members of Democracy for Tamils consist of multiethnic professionals from various fields including business, legal, medical, and information technology. The common objective that brings these professionals together is the desire to promote democratic rights and freedoms including freedom of speech, assembly, press, political expression, and mobility for Sri Lankan Tamils.
The democratic rights of Sri Lankan Tamils have been severely restricted and often denied for over 60 years. Democracy for Tamils promotes efforts which will help to re-establish the democratic rights for the Sri Lankan Tamils. The organization envisions conditions under which the Sri Lankan Tamils can enjoy democratic rights comparable to Western democracies.
Those interested in finding out more about this humanitarian crisis, or how they may help, can visit http://www.democracyfortamils.com.
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