Starving for Peace: Launch of International 10,000-Meal Fast for Civilians Suffering in Sri LankaWashington, DC February 2, 2009 – As a concerned American, I have just renounced a meal in support of ____________ efforts to call for an end to the genocide in Sri Lanka. I stand steadfast with _____, and 7 other members of People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL), as they embark on a lengthy fast on behalf of civilians under attack in Sri Lanka. Every meal sacrificed represents 30 refugees trapped in the ravaged regions of Sri Lanka, and they will not stop until the more than 300,000 Tamil civilians who are under constant artillery and aerial onslaught are represented. These young Americans are members of People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL), a DC-based human rights organization dedicated to ending the genocide in Sri Lanka: Rosha Hebsur, a doctoral candidate for psychology in Arlington, VA; Brintha Jeyalingam, a recent graduate of Columbia University's graduate program; Senthan Mahendrarasa, a junior at Ohio State University in Columbus, OH; Tasha Manoranjan, a recent graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, DC; Ahilan Sivaganesan, a medical student at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX; Arvind Suguness, a recent graduate of Ohio State University in Columbus, OH; Priya Suntharalingam, a junior at Winchester High School in MA; Sadena Thevarajah, a law student at Washington University – St. Louis in MO. They are banding together with others around the globe to call for awareness and action to the devastation unfolding in Sri Lanka. Supporters can visit their "Starving for Peace" webpage at www.pearlaction.org/fast and pledge to sacrifice a meal to represent 30 refugees. From the site, supporters can then send a letter to their members of Congress to inform them of their sacrifice and to encourage them to take action immediately for Sri Lanka. These pledged fasts will reduce the length of time that the eight Americans remain without food. Many of PEARL's members have volunteered in Sri Lanka, heard the stories of those who are suffering there, and come back to America determined to take action. "Two years ago, I taught English in Mullaitivu at a home for visually- and hearing-impaired children for a month," says PEARL Advocacy Director Tasha Manoranjan. "That home, full of boys who were six and seven years old, was bombed last week. Unfortunately, I don't think the children were surprised. Even during the ceasefire, they knew they might never see their teens. This fast is for those children and for all the innocent Tamil civilians suffocating under a continuous military onslaught." The eight aim to raise awareness and action. PEARL is asking the U.S. government to provide desperately needed medical supplies and work toward a ceasefire now. PEARL is also asking 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.
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