PARIS – June 8 – French voters elected 78 MEPs for the EU Parliament, including 14 each from the Green Party and the Socialists, but rejected outright the LTTE backed Tamil candidates who fielded under independent group for Ile de France district that includes Paris. EPP topped the list with 30 seats while the Liberals came fourth with 6 seats after the Greens and the Socialists.
French voters of Tamil origin from Sri Lanka, Mauritius, East Africa and India cast their votes in favour of socialist and left parties. The Tamil group backed by the front organizations of the Liberation.
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was routed in the election.
The Independent group headed by Jean Marie Julia from Pondicherry could not even get the votes of the French citizens of Pondicherry origin because the list included 18 Sri Lankan Tamils backed by the LTTE. "Julia had a chance of getting elected if he had contested from a socialist party," Joe Samuels, a Pondicherry Tamil in Paris said. "But our people rejected his list because it contained names of several LTTE supporters. Our people detest violence and they don’t want anybody who believes in violent politics".
Julia’s independent list included Elangovan Thambirajah, Rassou Santhi, Thevamanoharan Kandiah, Lewis Pulcheris, Mythili Kumaravelu, Thayapararasan Ramalinga, Seeralan Sivalogarani, Anthonipillai Singharajah, Thayapararasan Nanthakumary, Amalathas Purvaneswary, Marakandu Wogeeswaran, Senathirajah Kaveendran and Vasanthi Rajasekaram. Most of the candidates of Sri Lankan Tamil origin were either members or supporter activists of front organizations of the LTTE such as TCC, TYO, Thamil Sangham, TRO etc.
"It is a pity that Julia, a Pondicherry Tamil was rejected while 4 other independent candidates were elected," Marian Sivaguru of Mauritius said. "The mistake he made was to include Sri Lankan Tamil nominees with dubious records". (Courtesy: The Island)
