The United States Tamil Action Group, originally called USTPAC, is a grassroots advocacy organization committed to work for a political solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. Since our founding in 2009, USTAG has coordinated advocacy and political activism among Tamil Americans and our friends across the United States.
USTAG’s vision is for peace and freedom on our island of origin, based on the belief that every human is created equal. We believe in a civilization that is free of oppression and discrimination in any form from race, ethnicity, color, gender, language, religious beliefs, caste, and sexual orientation.
A. Use all democratic, non-violent and lawful means available in the United States and under international law towards achieving a peaceful political solution to the conflict between the Sinhala and the Tamil-speaking peoples living in the island of Sri Lanka that recognizes the principles of equal rights and self-determination of peoples.
B. Provide assistance to the Tamil-speaking people of Sri Lanka to safeguard and exercise their rights based on the universally accepted principle of self-determination of peoples.
C. Offer assistance to the people living in the North-East region of Sri Lanka for their humanitarian, educational, cultural, economical and political well-being.
D. Act as a voice for, and provide assistance to, the Tamil-speaking people of Sri Lanka and any oppressed people living in any part of the world.
Since 2009 when the Tamil problem was described as a terrorist problem in the US and the international community, USTAG has worked hard and changed the narrative. Tamils are now seen as a community in danger and subject to discrimination and oppression in the Island of Sri Lanka.”
USTAG, along with other likeminded organizations helped to establish that war crimes were committed by providing information and evidences on war crimes to the first UN report (Darusman report) in 2011. USTAG engaged with and encouraged the US State Department to bring successive Resolutions at the UN Human Rights Council, culminating in the 2015 Resolution HRC/30/1 that required Sri Lanka to initiate a Transitional Justice process including Truth-telling, Justice, Tracing the missing, Reparations and a political solution to assure Non-recurrence.
