Starving for Peace FAQ
Why are you fasting?
Each of us is fasting for many different, personal reasons (check out our profiles!), but we are also fasting for one unified reason: we want to see a sustainable peace in Sri Lanka. PEARL has been assisting Americans concerned about civilians in Sri Lanka educate and mobilize their Congressional representatives for years. After witnessing the most recent atrocities, we felt compelled to do something bigger than ever before to channel attention to this desperate situation. We decided that a worldwide, interactive fast would be the best way to convey the gravity of the situation to Congress and the President while simultaneously generating awareness among those around us.
What do you hope to accomplish?
Our objective is multifaceted. We are asking the U.S. government to provide desperately-needed medical supplies and work toward an immediate ceasefire. PEARL is urging President Obama to appoint a special envoy to promote peace talks to achieve a lasting, just political resolution to Sri Lanka's 60-year-old conflict.
Beyond that, we hope those around us will learn more about this complex struggle that has permeated all of our lives and that they will continue to feel engaged to carry forward a lasting resolution is carried through.
Why should the government's treatment of Tamil civilians be considered genocide?
The internationally recognized definition of genocide is "...any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group."
– Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, Article II
We have seen the Sri Lankan government systematically try to destroy Tamil civilians for 60 years. From post-independence political marginalization to a pogrom in 1983 ("Black July"), through the most recent "safety zone" shelling, we believe that these actions, compounded with hundreds more over the years, satisfy the definition of genocide.
Why are you asking people to fast instead of asking for donations?
Many organizations and individuals over this protracted conflict have been generously donated money and supplies to Tamil civilians over the decades. However, too often, the Sri Lankan government has deliberately withheld those materials from reaching the intended recipients. Even now, Doctors Without Borders has medical teams standing by with personnel and equipment, but they are being refused entry by the Sri Lankan government. The only way to ensure that all future donations make it to the areas that need it most is by pressuring the U.S. government to take action to ensure the safety of Tamil civilians.
What happens if enough people don't fast with you?
The unthinkable! And that's why we refuse to think it. We are convinced that when people take the time to learn about the atrocities being silenced in Sri Lanka, they will feel compelled to act. The outpouring of support thus far has been so enthusiastic that we are certain that we are going to be able to see this fast to the finish.
Aren't there Tamils in India? What do they think?
Tamils in India have been showing incredible support for Tamils in Sri Lanka over the past few weeks. Tamil students in Tamil Nadu have been on hunger strikes themselves and Tamil Nadu politicians have been urging India to become involved as well. We stand in solidarity with them.
