Tamils in Australia protest against Sri Lanka's 77th Independence Day

Tamils protested against Sri Lanka's 77th Independence Day outside Sri Lanka's embassy in Canberra, Australia today.

The day is regarded as a 'Black Day' for Eelam Tamils who have been oppressed by the Sinhala Buddhist state since Sri Lanka gained independence from British rule on February 4, 1948. 

The protestors were demanding justice and accountability for Sri Lanka's human rights abuses against Tamils as well as protection for Tamil asylum seekers who fled the island but still don't have permanent protection in Australia. 

Following the protest, a group of Tamils including representatives from the Tamil Refugee Council (TRC), went to Parliament to hand over a report detailing the genocide perpetrated against Tamils by Sri Lanka and human rights abuses that have been committed over the last 77 years until the present day. 

The group met with Labor MP Dr Andrew Charlton, Greens Senator David Shoebridge, Independent Senator Fatima Payman and Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe to discuss the report and the need for the international community to take urgent action to deliver justice and accountability for Tamils.

Shoebridge said that he joins the calls for "an end to Sri Lanka's oppression of Eelam Tamils and their struggle for justice, accountability and self-determination."

In a statement, TRC spokesperson Renuga Inpakumar said: 

“We refuse to allow the suffering of our people to be erased. The Tamil genocide is not just history—it is happening now. Our people continue to be disappeared, our land is militarized, and Tamil activists are targeted for speaking the truth. Today, we have taken our fight for justice directly to the Australian Parliament."

The protest in Canberra coincides with protests held across Tamil Eelam today where Tamils are demanding justice for the genocide of Tamils and the right to self-determination. 

 

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