Tamil families of the disappeared in Vavuniya marked 2611 days of continuous protests on Tamil New Year as they continue to campaign to know the fate of their forcibly disappeared relatives.
“We have been fighting for 2611 days to find our missing children,” they said. “We are grateful for the recognition of our struggle from politicians from the USA and EU in their pursuit for accountability and truth.”
They also extended their appreciation to members of the U.S. Congress, who called for a referendum in Tamil Eelam and the referral of Sri Lanka to the ICC. Last month, US Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC) and US Congressman Bill Johnson (OH) introduced a bipartisan Resolution calling for a referendum for Eelam Tamils to be “democratically and equitably represented” as well as a “lasting peaceful political solution”.
The Resolution comes as the Tamil nation marks 15 years since the massacre at Mullivaikkal where Sri Lanka’s forces killed and forcibly disappeared thousands of Tamils in the final weeks of the armed conflict.
Tamil families of the disappeared have been protesting continously across the North-East since 2017, demanding to know the whereabouts of their relatives, many of whom surrendered to Sri Lanka's military at the end of the armed conflict.
Although the families have been protesting for years, successive Sri Lankan government have failed to engage with them to address their demands.
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