Sri Lanka's military held several event's in the Vanni to 'celebrate' Tamil and Sinhala New Year, with civilians, including children, invited to take part.

The 66th and 663rd Brigades of the Security Forces Headquarters in Kilinochchi held an event each in Pooneryn (Poonakari) on the 8th and 10th of April. Major General A.P. De Z Wickramaratne, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 66 Division was chief guest at both events. 

Famous Sinhala singers from the south graced the event in the Kiranchi playground, in the virtually exclusively Tamil town.

(All photos: Sri Lanka Army)

The Sri Lankan military continues to involve itself in activities involving school children and their education, across the Tamil regions in the North-East of the island.

Soldiers from regiments which stand accused of commiting mass atrocities, stationed in Batticaloa, Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu, organised several activities in the last few weeks, involving young school children, despite Sri Lanka's foreign minister, Mangala Samaraweera, telling delegates gathered at a conference in Washington last week that "involvement of the military in civilian activities has ceased".

Troops from the Special Forces Regiment, based in Kilinochchi organised a trip to Colombo from February 11-12, for 37 children from Kanagapuram Central School to visit a photographic exhibition about the military, also taking them to a Buddhist stupa in the Viharamahadevi Park, named after Sinhala king Dutugamenu’s mother.

British MPs, highlighting the need for the new government of Sri Lanka to take concrete steps to reconcile with Tamils, called for increased pressure on Sri Lanka to cooperate with the UN inquiry into mass atrocities, whikst debating the issue of ‘Tamils in Sri Lanka’ at the House of Commons on Wednesday morning.

Noting concerns about the new Sri Lankan government’s demeanour towards the Tamil community, and later highlighting that “only a political solution that recognises the rights of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka, including that to self-determination, can address the root cause of the conflict”, the chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils (APPGT), MP Lee Scott, said,

“I am concerned, however, that the new Government of Sri Lanka have stated that they will not change the policy towards the Tamil community in Sri Lanka or demilitarise the areas in which Tamil people live.”

Mr Scott added that further pressure on Sri Lanka, through action such as “vetoing future loans from the international Monetary Fund (IMF)” may be an avenue to encourage change for Tamils in Sri Lanka. 

Expressing concern at the make-up of the new Sirisena government, Mr Scott added, “The new president was a member of the same party as his predecessor.”