USTPAC, WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The United States Tamil Political Action Council (USTPAC) welcomes the Report of the United Nations Secretary General's Internal Review Panel on UN Action in Sri Lanka, released November 14th, 2012. This internal review, undertaken by Charles Petrie, reveals UN involvement in Sri Lanka to be a "grave failure" in preventing the mass atrocities that occurred at the end of the civil war in 2009. A key mandate of the United Nations is to prevent the loss of innocent lives and genocidal acts against a people. The UN's engagement in Sri Lanka, however, was found to be ineffective and deeply flawed. The departure of UN staff at the very moment they were most needed led to disastrous consequences for Tamil civilians trapped in the war zone. "The Report highlights the systemic failure of the United Nations in its mandate to uphold the 'responsibility to protect,' resulting in the massive loss of human life," said Tasha Manoranjan, attorney-at-law and member of the Governing Council of USTPAC. "It raises serious concerns regarding the UN's lack of will to prevent the Sri Lankan government's massacre of the Tamil people."

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- On the last day of congressional sessions before they went on recess for the November elections, 31 US lawmakers wrote a letter to US Secretary of State Clinton making a strong case for heightened engagement on Sri Lanka. The letter initiated by Representatives Bill Johnson (Ohio), William Keating, Michael Grimm and Walter Jones quickly gained bipartisan support and included Representative Steve Chabot, chair of the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia.

USTPAC, May 18, 2012 - Palo Alto, CA (PRWEB) - As Tamils and human rights organizations mark the third anniversary of the mass atrocities in Sri Lanka against the Tamil population, the US government holds bilateral talks with Sri Lanka on accountability, Tamil Americans hold remembrance rallies and human rights organizations call for international investigations.

Washington, DC (PRWEB) April 29, 2012 - United States Tamil Political Action Council (USTPAC) condemns attack on Muslim mosque in Sri Lanka by Buddhist extremists, denounces government complicity, and calls for tolerance and protection of religious freedom for minority communities.

March 7th, 2012 - Geneva, Switzerland - Joint Statement by British Tamils Forum (BTF), Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC), Tamil Youth Organisation UK (TYO UK) and US Tamil Political Action Council(USTPAC) - We welcome the proposed resolution by the Government of the United States of America at the 19th Session of the UN Human Rights Council towards holding all parties to the conflict accountable during the last phases of the war in Sri Lanka. The resolution offers a glimpse of hope for those affected by the conflict and sets in motion appropriate steps that could assist in long term peace and reconciliation in post-war Sri Lanka.

USTPAC, February 25, 2012 - The United States Tamil Political Action Council (USTPAC) and 10 other Tamil groups from around the world call on the UN Secretary-General to continue his principled stand on accountability for war crimes in Sri Lanka at the upcoming UN Human Rights Council meetings in a letter released today. “The United Nations Secretary-General must stand by his own Panel of Experts’ Report and continue his principled stand in support for accountability for both sides for the events in Sri Lanka during the final stages of the war,” said Dr. Elias Jeyarajah, the President of USTPAC. Dr. Jeyarajah was speaking on behalf of 10 other Tamil groups from around the world on the eve of the commencement in Geneva of the 19th Session of the Human Rights Council.

Washington, DC (PRWEB) February 14, 2012 - The United States Tamil Political Action Council (USTPAC) holds a boycott rally in cities across the United States calling on Sri Lanka to respect human rights inside the country and drawing attention to Sri Lanka’s request for an exemption from US sanctions on Iranian oil use.

USTPAC, 19 december 2011 - The United States Tamil Political Action Council (USTPAC) finds the report of Sri Lanka's domestic inquiry into alleged war crimes deeply flawed and urges the implementation of UN Panel of Experts’ recommendations by creating an international investigative mechanism.

USTPAC, 30 July 2011 - USTPAC today sent an urgent request to the King of Saudi Arabia requesting clemency for the Tamil-speaking Sri Lankan maid sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia. In a letter to the King which was sent via the Saudi Embassy in Washington DC, the president of USTPAC, Dr. Elias Jeyarajah urged the king to show compassion for Ms. Nafeek for the alleged crime committed when she was still a minor, an appeal also made by Amnesty International in MDE 23/026/2007 and Human Rights Watch on October 26, 2010, since Saudi Arabia is a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

United States Tamil Political Action Council (USTPAC) welcomes the resolution passed in the Tamil Nadu Assembly calling for the UN to investigate the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Sri Lankan armed forces against Tamils in NorthEast Sri Lanka. The historic resolution also called for economic sanctions to be imposed against Sri Lanka until Tamils receive their due rights.

Washington, DC (PRWEB) June 22, 2011