To

The Honourable Prime Minister of India

Dear Mr. Prime Minister,

We, the undersigned, are gravely concerned that if the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meet (CHOGM) is held in Sri Lanka that has least regard for the human rights, it would only encourage the perpetrators of the genocidal war crimes against Tamil civilians of Sri Lanka and deny the justice for the war victims.

Human Rights abuses, War crimes & Genocide in Sri Lanka:

• The allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity have been well substantiated by the Dublin Permanent People’s Tribunal Award, the UN Secretary General’s Panel of Experts report and the London Channel-4 documentaries.

• We are also seriously concerned over the continuing militarization in Sri Lanka. After a weeklong visit to the island, the UNHRC High Commissioner Ms Navi Pillay remarked that Sri Lanka is heading in an "increasingly authoritarian direction". Pillay clearly mentioned about the heavy military presence in the Tamil homeland, compulsory acquisition of Tamil lands for installing military camps, military intrusion into civilian administration like education, agriculture and tourism and the vulnerability of Tamil women and girls to sexual harassment and abuse including at the hands of military personnel.

• Sri Lankan government has continued to erase the identities of Tamil people by demolishing temples, mosques and constructing Buddhist Viharas in Tamil homelands.

Precedents of boycott by the Commonwealth of Nations:

In retrospect, Nigeria was suspended from Commonwealth of Nations in 1995 for killing nine environmentalists including renowned writer and Right to Livelihood Awardee Ken Saro Wiwa. The other precedents are of South Africa having been kept out of the Commonwealth from 1961 to 1994 for the apartheid policies, the suspension of Pakistan during the Pervez Musharaf regime and the immediate case of Fiji which continues to be kept out for denial of democracy by a military regime as a serious violation of the Commonwealth's fundamental political principles, as enshrined in the Harare Commonwealth Declaration.

Internationally renowned writers like Noam Chomsky, Arundhati Roy and Orhan Pamuk boycotted the Galle Literary festival recently held in Sri Lanka in January, 2011. The European Union has taken direct action by suspending Sri Lanka’s preferential trading access (GSP Plus scheme) for its failure to respect its international human rights obligations.

The Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper has rightly decided to boycott CHOGM if it is held in Colombo for its poor record of human rights and urged the Commonwealth council to change the venue. Internationally renowned human rights organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch calls for the venue change of CHOGM out of Sri Lanka.

One of the veteran political leaders in Tamil Nadu, Comrade Thiagu has started his fast unto death protest on October 1, 2013 in Chennai for the same demand of boycotting CHOGM in Colombo.

The people and the political parties in Tamil Nadu are nearly unanimous in appealing to you as the Prime Minister of India not to attend the CHOGM in Colombo.

In order to strive towards restoring the political rights of Tamils and democratic values in Sri Lanka, we urge the government of India to ask for the change of venue from Colombo to some other Commonwealth Capital or, if at all there is no change, to boycott the CHOGM at Colombo.

Thanking You,