President of the CWC Senthil Thondaman has expressed profound objection to a recent order which restricts the registration of people as Indian origin Tamils.
A circular to this effect issued by the Registrar General’s Department has deeply concerned the Indian origin Tamil community who are citizens of Sri Lanka, said Thondaman, also governor of the eastern province, in a letter to the registrar general on 18 October.
The order mandates that they may no longer register as Indian origin Tamils, but are instead compelled to identify solely as Sri Lankan Tamils.
Thondaman said they firmly believe in the fundamental rights of every Sri Lankan citizen, including the autonomy to determine how they wish to identify their community.
Such decisions are intrinsically personal and should not be subjected to external imposition, he wrote.
“This order not only threatens the rights of individuals within the Indian origin Tamil community, but also raises concerns about the broader principles of freedom and self-determination that our democratic society upholds.”
He urged the department to ensure that every citizen’s right to self-identify in terms of their ethnic or cultural background is upheld and respected.
Thondaman added that he looked forward to a prompt resolution that upholds the principles of individual freedom and cultural identity.
