Updated March 25th, 2021 at 17:04 IST
Kamal Haasan says 'Centre betrayed Tamils' after India abstains from voting in UNHRC
Kamal Haasan took a swipe at the Modi government for abstaining from voting against Sri Lanka in UNHRC, calling it a 'culmination of betrayal of Tamils'.
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At the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva on Tuesday, India abstained from a critical vote on Sri Lanka's human rights record. Reacting to the Central Government's decision, actor turned politician Kamal Haasan said that it is the culmination of the Centre's betrayal of Tamils so far. He wrote on Twitter, "The Government of India has slipped away from voting against Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council resolution on 'war crimes in Sri Lanka'. This is the culmination of the betrayal of Tamils by the Central Government so far." (roughly translated from Tamil)
Kamal Haasan reacts to India's abstinence on UNHRC vote on Sri Lanka
ஐ.நா மனித உரிமைகள் மன்றத்தில் ’இலங்கையில் நடந்த போர்க்குற்றங்கள்’ குறித்து கொண்டு வரப்பட்ட தீர்மானத்திற்கு இலங்கைக்கு எதிராக வாக்களிக்காமல் நழுவி இருக்கிறது இந்திய அரசு. தமிழுக்கும் தமிழர்க்கும் மத்தியஅரசு இதுவரை செய்து வந்த துரோகத்தின் உச்சகட்டம் இது.
— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) March 25, 2021
Both the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which sought polar opposite outcomes on the resolution, expressed hope of gaining India's support ahead of the vote. Both sides appeared sympathetic on Tuesday to India's abstention, which effectively amounts to no support for either party.
India abstains in UNHRC vote on Sri Lanka
The UNHRC adopted a resolution, which was backed by a group of nations including the United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada, empowering UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet to gather and preserve evidence of crimes committed during Sri Lanka's civil war, which concluded in 2009 with the defeat of Tamil Tiger rebels. However, the resolution on "Promoting reconciliation, transparency, and human rights in Sri Lanka" was adopted after 22 of the 47 members of the UN Council voted in favour of it.
The Human Rights situation has been worsened under the Rajapaksa (Mahinda Rajapaksa, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka) administration, because of which rights defenders as well as ethnic and religious minorities are experiencing difficulties, claimed the resolution. However, eleven nations voted against the resolution, including Bangladesh, China, and Pakistan, while 14 countries abstained including India, Indonesia, Japan, and Nepal.
(Picture Credit: ANI/Twitter)
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Published March 25th, 2021 at 17:04 IST
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