Hundreds of Tamils protested across the North-East demanding the new government to release and reveal the whereabouts of their detained and disappeared, whilst calling for an international probe into the whereabouts of the disappeared.

In Jaffna, hundreds of men, women and children carrying photos of their missing loved ones, marched from Jaffna central bus station to the Jaffna Divisional Secretariat building to hand over a memorandum to Sri Lanka’s new president, demanding that the whereabouts of the detained were revealed and that they were immediately released, reports Uthayan.

Protestors march to the Jaffna Divisional Secretariat  to demand the release of the disappeared and an international probe into their whereabouts Photograph:Colombo Mirror

In Mullaitivu, Tamils searching for their disappeared gathered outside the Divisional Secretariat building, yielding placards calling for an international probe into the investigation.

Speaking to the Colombo Mirror, the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) General Secretary, S Kajendran, said,

“Former army commander, who led the genocidal war against the Tamils, but was later sent to jail on corruption charges, has been reinstated within days after President Sirisena came to power. Similarly, former Chief Justice who was controversially dismissed on corruption charges had been reinstated. But not a single Tamil has been released even one month after this new government coming to power,”

“We need full international investigation into what has happened during and after the war and the UNHRC should release its report in March as scheduled,” he added.