Maalai Vanakkam, and Kia Ora to those assembled this evening on this solemn occasion.  It is an honour to have been invited to appear this evening as your chief guest.  As a Wellington-based member of Parliament I bring respectful greetings to you from my colleagues in the House of Representatives.  As a member of the shadow cabinet, I convey the best wishes of the leader of the opposition, Hon Phil Goff, and my fellow Labour Party MPs, including Deputy Leader Hon Annette King, and local MP Hon Trevor Mallard.

I pay tribute to the Tamil people who have made New Zealand their home.  Your communities are estimated to contain some 3000 people in this country.  Compared to other countries, like Singapore, Canada, the US, Australia and Britain, that is a relatively small population.  Those countries, with large and long-established Tamil communities, have produced many prominent Tamils, such as UK broadcasters James Coomarasamy and George Alagiah, Singaporean President S R Nathan, Canadian writer Shyam Salvadurai, and US public figures such as Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi and film director M Night Shyamalan.  The work ethic and respect for educational and other achievement demonstrated by these Tamil achievers is clearly reflected in the values of many Tamil kiwis.

Tamil culture, and the Tamil language, are ancient and significant, with a recorded history of over two millennia.  Tamil was the first Indian language to be given classical status. It has the oldest extant literature amongst other Dravidian languages.  The art and architecture of the Tamil people encompass some of the notable contributions of India and South-East Asia to the art world.  The famous Nataraja sculpture has become a universal symbol of Hinduism.  The music, the temple architecture and the stylised sculptures favoured by the Tamil people in their ancient nation are still being learnt and practised.  On this basis, Tamils have been referred to as the last surviving classical civilisation on Earth.  The Pallava script, a variant of Southern Brahmi used by the Tamil Pallava dynasty, was the basis of several of the writing systems of Southeast Asia, including the Burmese, Khmer, Thai, Lao and Javanese scripts.

Our country is indeed fortunate to host a vibrant and growing community of Tamil New Zealanders.

Tonight, you gather to commemorate a tragedy.  I stand with you now on Mullivaikal Remembrance Day.  I do so in the same spirit of solidarity that the New Zealand Labour Party sought to show with the Tamil community a year ago.  With you, I remember those who are no longer with us, and their loved ones.  With you, I lament the bloody conclusion to last year’s military campaign.  With you, I express my regret at the lost opportunities for reconciliation in that country. I restate Labour’s commitment to human rights and the rule of law as the only satisfactory solution to securing a just and permanent peace in Sri Lanka.

Thank you again for the opportunity to share this evening with you, and to participate in this remembrance ceremony.