- Join the France 24 community here
- Log in
Latest update: 19/05/2009
Shocked, outraged, France’s Tamil Diaspora reacts to the news
For the nearly 80,000 Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka currently living in France, news of Tiger leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran’s apparent death was met with shock, anger and widespread concern over the fates of their loved ones back home.
Video
Related links
A pall of gloom has descended on the normally bustling streets of the La Chapelle neighbourhood in Paris, a busy commercial area crammed with Sri Lankan shops, restaurants and businesses shortly after the Sri Lankan military announced that Tamil Tiger chief Vellupillai Prabhakaran had been killed.
On busy rue Perdonnet, shops and restaurants have been closed since Monday when rumors of Prabhakaran’s death started to spread.
A few establishments put up copies of Channel 4’s interview with Tamil Tiger spokesman Selvarajah Pathmanathan, which was printed on the TV station’s Web site. In the interview, Pathmanathan affirmed that the leader of the Tamil Tigers was still alive.
'Prabhakaran was our chief'
In the streets, bystanders were warily awaiting confirmation of the news. “People are sad because Prabhakaran was our chief and because he fought fiercely for us,” confided Sandy, a native of the northern Sri Lankan town of Jaffna, who runs a food store in the area.
“Bear in mind,” adds a young woman, “some of our parents dream of returning home,” she said, referring to "Eelam" or the Sri Lankan Tamil dream of an independent homeland in the north of the island. “But this morning, all the newspapers say that they do not have a country any more.”
On the broad avenue leading to the magnificent Invalides, where Napoleon lies buried, people demonstrate against the “genocide” and “war crimes” committed by the Sri Lankan military in their recent military operation against the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) rebels. The tone here is belligerent.
Sitting on the lawns of the French parliament, brandishing the Tigers' trademark red and black flags, dozens of families have gathered to voice their despair. There are frequent parallels drawn to Rwanda and Darfur. “Stop killing our children,” they shout. “We are not terrorists," “France, President Sarkozy, help us please!” read some of the slogans.
‘The international community has failed us’
"It’s absolutely necessary to save the civilians still trapped in the war zone,” says Namratha, a 20-year-old student born in France to Sri Lankan parents. “There is nobody on the spot to look after the casualties or observe what is going on. The state is burning bodies and clearing up the area to erase all traces of the massacres."
Independent journalists and international observers have not been allowed into the conflict zone since the Sri Lankan army launched its military operation against the Tamil Tigers, making it hard to corroborate the claims of either side. While faulting both the Sri Lankan military and the Tigers for civilian casualties, the UN has described the situation in the conflict zone as a “bloodbath”.
The reaction of the international community in particular, is harshly criticised. Kumar, a young man of Tamil origin protesting on the parliament lawn, is visibly distressed. He says he has lost seven family members in Sri Lanka over the past six months. Kumar believes the international community shares the responsibility for his loss.
“The international community has failed us. It was the international community that led us to negotiate, which led to the disappearance of Tamil people, “said Kumar, referring to the 2002 Norwegian-led negotiations, which led to a ceasefire between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan authorities. In 2006, following the collapse of the peace process, the European Union, like the US and Canada, included the LTTE in its list of terrorist organisations.
Kumar, who arrived in France in 1993, is part of the 80,000 Tamil refugees in France. And with the latest news of Prabhakaran’s death, he fears that he will have to stay here for some time since their Tiger has lost its bite.
Related Content
Browse all editions
PARTNERSHIPS
Comments (20)
LTTE Supporters
All you LTTE supporters, you should have taken refuge in Tamilnadu in the first place. Insted of going to more comfortable countries like Canada France UK Ect. Go to Tamilnadu they are waiting for. Leave Srilanka in peace.
Sri Lanka and Prabhakaran
The bitter war is over for sri lankans of all ethnic groups not only for sinhalese. The tamil diaspora most of the young who has never lived in sri lanka does not know the suffering the entire sri lankan population endured in the hands of LTTE. Im a tamil in colombo suburb living amidst sinhalese without being victimized. Me and my family was protected by the neibours in 1983. The affluent diaspora funded LTTE to propagate hatred and killing. LETS REBUILD NOT TO GO BACK FOR DISPARE.We and specially you the affluent has a commitment to lookafter over the tamils who stayed back, because your money that prevented peace for so long till this Prabakan is dead
pamsap
Give Peace a Chance
Sri Lanka has just ended a bloody war. The Sinhalese in Sri Lanka are rejoicing and so are the Tamils albeit in their hearts. They lived in fear for over 25 long years a fear they feel no more.
The Tamils living in Sri Lanka are ready for a new begining. They are exhausted by the war and would like nothing better than to live in peace and harmony.
It is agreed that the war was terrible. The last stretch was devastating dispalcing tens of thousands and killing thousands. But it's ended now and everybody in Sri Lanka is looking forward to peace and prosperity.
As the Diaspora living abroad should we not give them all the support towards this?
Shocked and outraged-Praba's death
Dear beloved Tamil Diaspora, I understand your feelings. I cry toghether with you. Please do not go back to Sri Lanka because the war is over and the place will be prosperous. Please stay where you are now. Sri Lanka will not need any more opportunists. Those who contributed to LTTE in the past. please continue to pay your monthly payments to an organisation like ICRC or WorldVision. Thanks to your contribution, LTTE managed to kill innocent civilians (including my brother on a visit to SL). I am shocked why Tamil Diaspora who supported LTTE did not go to Vanni and fight toghether with Praba. Aren't you selfish? You guys talk about Tamil freedom while living in the first world. Poor Tamils (& other races) in Sri Lanka are working hard to meet their ends. Why not share the pain mate.
Criminals
"Tigers are Animals Supporters are Criminals" "Who made Prabakaran Hero They made All Tamilians Zero" Yes we need peace in one piece Not in two piece"
We are Sri Lankans
What's you all are saying "We Tamils & They Sinhalease". No man. There are nothing as you are saying. Only as President Mahinda said "There are Only Two races. Either peoples who loved there motherland or people who doesn"t Long live diaspora Don't come to Sri Lanka
Thiru is a lier
I just saw a interview with this person called Thiru. I think he might be living in MARS or somewhere there for past 30 years. How many innocent civilians LTTE killed? How many suicide attacks against civilian targets, how many bus bombings, shop bombings and how many pure killings. They killed over 100 Buddhist monks, killed hundreds of Muslims in a mosque. Heck they even killed Indiam PM and a Sri Lankan President. This guy should be ashamed of himself and I don't know what France 24 is doing interviewing people like that. Their hands are stained with blood. They are the ones who funded LTTE, the killing machine.
proLTTE diaspora are delusional
Young generation of Tamils are completely brainwashed. As you read in this article, they protest for LTTE not for innocent Tamil civilians. Now they are angry that their dream of Ealam died with LTTE especially with its leader. If they are really concerned about innocent Tamil civilians, they would have protested against LTTE who were holding them as human shield. Despite pressure from countries like France, US and UK to negotiate with LTTE thus prolonging this misery for all Sri Lankans, Sri Lankan forces rescued all Tamil people and soon after deminning and building infrastructure, they will be able to go back home. Some people in North already resettled along with 90% East. So stop this nonsense. These proLTTE diaspora are delusional.
Come back to Sri Lanka
All the tamil refugees in canada and other countries! Now that the war is over all you guys should go back to Sri Lanka. Theere is no need to be a refugee in another country and cause traffic block anymore....
Lets build the country
Lets build the country forget the rest
shocked, outraged
Thiru,
You will not get your ealam in SL, try in TAMIL NADU.
EELAM Legitimite demand
Sri lankan regimes and India did thier propaganda war very well in order to make LTTE and idirectly EELAM illegitimate in the eyes of the world.
India never wanted autonomy for eemal tamils fearing similar senarios in thier own country , used Rajive s death as an excuse to destroy LTTE and the Eelam dram.
The biggest mistake India did is assiting to a terror regime in Sri lanka which commited and commiting a Genocide to tamils in the name of war on terror- mass murder - rapes - shelling - starvation of kids and women were allowed by international community guided by India just to catch crash LTTE...Now the tamils are very very angry of a killing of thier loved ones and thier leader without mersy...the need of EELAM is an existancial need for tamils since thier existance is not guaranteed with singala racist regime
Please go home.
I agree with the comment above. the tamils have not contributed anything of value, other than cheap labor, to our beloved culture. if at all, they have destroyed some beautiful neighborhoods forever. shame on you.
The tamils should go back
As a native Parisian, I feel that the tamil refugees took advantage of our hospitality. When we visited Sri Lanka, i met plenty of tamils who were very comfortable living there.
Eelam
Eelam that u guys are fighting for definition is a rasict state. Wanting a separate state for yourself in this globalized world where people of different color, religion, ethinicity live in harmony is narrow minded cause. We will never support such a divisive cause!
Funny comments made by Mr; Thiruchchoti Thiru
Very recntly Mr; Thiruchchoti Thiru was interviewed by France 24 and he made a comment saying that the suicide attacks what LTTE made were never targeted at civilians. What a funny comment, May be he thought that the politicians in Sri Lanka use to travel in Trains and buses. Wake up Mr. Thiruchchoti its innocent people who travels in publec transport. Stop talking bullshit atleast now. U have done mistakes that no one can forgive. Let us be united. let Tamils live united with all races in sri lanka. there are other races lives without problem. dont try to be it. Or after another 100 years Europe too will have to face this problem.
Tamil Tigers
Autominous section in the north of Sri Lanks? You are ALL Sri Lankans! This garbage has to stop. Work together to form a country and not little fifedoms! If you can't, then better off dead! The world has no use for you!
Sri Lanka
The fact of the matter is Sri Lanka nor the international community will ever be able to appease the likes of "Kumar" much like France, UK and US will never be able to appease the Militant Muslim Jihadist - its just the way they want to be - angry, miserable and constantly blaming the world for their problems.
Lessons for the world
The death and destructions led by this man left our country nothing but a warzone. Now it is a golden oppotunity to live in peace. We don't need IC preaching how to handle human rights and this fight was million times better than Iraq and afganistan.
What Rubbish
Only because of Countrys like France, UK, US this hypocrite/Cult exists. cant you guys do something better then promoting a Terrorist. .. Shame on you guys..Anyhow Prabakaran is dead.. and i mean DEAD. so digest it rather then wasting your energy..